Should the Government Bail Out Newspapers? July 13, 2009

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/06/29/Newspapers_are_Dead_Now_What

Phil Bronstein, editor at large for the San Francisco Chronicle, and Lowell Bergman, producer / correspondent for the PBS series Frontline, debate the value of public versus private funding of newspapers. Bronstein says, "Government is the most powerful institution we cover and I really don't particularly want them even thinking that they can tell us what to do."

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As traditional media passes into the great beyond, how will the landscape change? Experts weigh in.

Newspapers are dying and everything is about to change in the world of journalism. But don't mistake the decline of newspapers with the decline of journalism. The power is shifting and consumer's appetite for news has become insatiable.

Who's going to be making money and how? Industry experts discuss what to expect next in the changing world of journalism. - Commonwealth Club

Phil Bronstein specializes in investigative projects and foreign correspondence. In 1986, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his work in the Philippines, and he went on to cover conflicts in other parts of Southeast Asia, El Salvador, Peru, and the Middle East.

Bronstein was named executive editor of the San Francisco Examiner in 1991, having previously served as managing editor for news. When the Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle merged in November 2000, he was named Senior Vice President and Executive Editor of the paper and became Executive Vice President and Editor of the Chronicle in March 2003. In February 2008, Bronstein was named Executive Vice President and Editor at Large of the Chronicle.

Lowell Bergman is a producer/correspondent for the PBS documentary series Frontline. Mr. Bergman is also the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Professor at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught a seminar dedicated to investigative reporting for over 10 years. He was an investigative reporter with The New York Times from 2000 until 2006.