links for 2009-08-29

But the point – I think – that Murdoch might be making when he draws the fate of newspapers into this debate, is that the ‘land grab’ he alludes to is that of the written word.

That’s where the BBC is treading onto other people’s turf; that’s where it is a one-way street.

There is more-than-ever a requirement to fulfil that traditional purpose of serious journalism, to empower people to participate fully in democracy. The reason is that for the past 25 years or so we have seen the slow and lingering death of financial paternalism, partly by design of government policy, partly by accident.

"Dumping free, state-sponsored news on the market makes it incredibly difficult for journalism to flourish on the internet. Yet it is essential for the future of independent digital journalism that a fair price can be charged for news to people who value it."