In the beginning, reports in the media on the financial crisis created a feeling of uneasiness among users. Now the media industry is in a crisis itself. Economically, because media companies are also recording financial losses and have to publish their own poor results. Editorially, because they are being criticized for their reporting which wasn't critical enough of the market and too naïve. So whose fault is it?

The journalists who were overwhelmed and just wanted to conceal their ignorance? The media companies that are accepting bad quality due to a lack of editorial staff? Or even the users, who would rather read glossy company portraits than explanations of complex associations or warnings of a possible collapse?

Has the media failed in its role as a watchdog during the current crisis? Were cautionary voices overheard? Were journalists and financial institutions working too closely together? How does the industry cope with this crisis? Will journalistic quality be sacrificed for economic restoration? Is there still a chance for more clarity and a new sense of credibility?   

Participants:
   
     
Roland Tichy, Editor in Chief, Wirtschaftswoche (Business Week)


Helmut Heinen, President of the Association of German Newspaper Publishers

Erik Bettermann, Director General, Deutsche Welle

Christiana Falcone, World Economic Forum Media expert

Moderation:

Andreas Stopp, Deutschlandfunk (German Radio)

Thursday, 4 June 2009, 4:30 p.m., Room AB