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Right now, there is no escaping the headlines that newspapers are dying, advertising revenues are drying up and newsrooms are scrambling, downsizing or going web-only. Investigative journalism is expensive and often the first to go when times are tough. On this podcast I wanted to look at an interesting organization which may just be a model for keeping good journalism alive in these tumultuous times for newsrooms. There is a flurry of discussion about new business models to save the industry, be it micro-payments or philanthropic ventures like ProPublica.org
I am honored for the opportunity to interview Mr Richard Tofel the general manager of ProPublica.org. ProPublica is a non-profit organization with one goal: to produce great investigative reporting. ProPublica is funded by grants and works like this; the newsroom has a staff of around 30 top investigative reporters, their stories are given, not sold, to news outlets such as the New York Times, the LA Times, CNN and CBS 60 minutes. All the reporting is also available for free on the ProPublica.org site.
Mr Richard Tofel was formerly the assistant publisher of The Wall Street Journal and he has authored several books including Restless Genius: Barney Kilgore, The Wall Street Journal, and the Invention of Modern Journalism (St. Martin’s, 2009)
This week, on the podcast I interview documentary filmmaker Alexandre Philippe about his new movie The People vs George Lucas, set to be released in the spring of 2010. The movie explores the passionate feelings expressed by fans and foes of the legendary film icon George Lucas. George Lucas is one of most debated filmmakers in history, he is adored by millions but his films have also disappointed many, especially the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Who can forget Jar Jar Binks!