Quality content and credibility, a lifeline for the media in times of crisis

Professor Manuel Castells and Manuel Campo Vidal lead a seminar at the UOC on conventional media in the Internet era.

The Seminar “Conventional media in the Internet era”, organized by the Academy of Television Sciences and Arts and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) and directed by Manuel Campo Vidal, president of the Television Academy, and Professor Manuel Castells, convened this week in Barcelona a group of renowned professionals from the sector to reflect on the new challenges of communication, the industry and the journalistic profession today.

Professor Manuel Castells stated that in the current situation “the only thing left for the media is quality content and credibility.” Furthermore, he explained that "three great changes are taking place in the sector: an extraordinary transformation of Communication, which arises from the capacity of networks to recombine information and transmit it, turning the Internet into a great space of freedom; a deep crisis in the Communication industry, which cannot find the business model on the Internet and a great change in the journalistic profession that can only survive by maintaining the deontological principles of independence from companies and governments."

For his part, the president of the Television Academy Manuel Campo Vidal recognized that "an era has ended for the media and we are outlining a new one, in which the Internet is an opportunity for talent, initiative and entrepreneurship within the sector."

The seminar also included the participation of Paco Sierra, Content Director of Antena 3 TV Multimedia; Luis Ventoso Castiñeira, deputy director of ABC; Carles Capdevilla, director of the newspaper Ara; Jaume Serra, Content Director of Cadena Ser in Catalonia; Joan Rosés, coordinator of Interactive Media of the Catalan Corporation of Mitjans Audiovisuals; Javier Toret, researcher specialized in Internet and Technopolitics; Arnau Monterde, researcher at the Communication and Civil Society Program at IN3-UOC; Rosa María Calaf, former TVE correspondent; Nuño Alberto Valenzuela, CMO of Next IBS; Francisco Moreno, executive producer of audiovisual media; Eladio Gutiérrez, engineer, former technical director of RNE, former president of Impulsa TDT and telecommunications and audiovisual media consultant; Josep Lluís Micó, director of the Journalism Degree at the Faculty of Communication of Blanquerna and collaborator in La Vanguardia and Ariadna Oltra, presenter of Els Matins on TV3.