Go and find something out

Two contrasting stories from France this morning draw attention to the state of flux in our industry and its still robust ability to challenge official orthodoxy. 

How will expensive reporting be paid for in the multimedia future? Can the web fund future Bob Woodwards and Paul Foots? I believe Centres like ours must contribute to the search for economic models that can preserve the quality and plurality of journalism. I've written about the topic at greater length today on the Guardian's CommentisFree website.  

The endgame for the newspaper is in sight, says Philip Meyer, hack-turned-professional-doomsayer and author of The Vanishing Newspaper. That 2005 book is commonly quoted as predicting April 2043 as the date on which the last New York Times appears - although in fact his model suggests the industry would have capitulated long before that.