Digital disruption, political pressure and new opportunities

Speaker: Mr Bill Emmott - Former Editor in Chief of The Economist & Chair of the Japan Society of the UK

Date/Time: Oct. 7, 1pm

Venue/Platform: Webinar by Zoom

Organised by: (opens in a new window)Dr Naonori Kodate - UCD Centre for Japanese Studies & PSU Centre for Japanese Studies Joint Seminar

Abstract: There may never have been a better time to be in the media, whether as a journalist or a publisher. Barriers to entry into the industry have fallen, costs of distribution have plummeted, new markets and new audiences are reachable, and access to information is easier than ever before. Yet this state of affairs has come through a technological and business hurricane which has destroyed many old business models even while creating new ones, it has brought new competition for attention from social media which also challenge perceptions of fact and falsehood, and it has made the mass media a target for political pressure and even assault even as the digital revolution has made some traditional media businesses weaker. These trends are worldwide in nature, but are happening in different ways and different speeds in different markets. Some prominent Japanese media groups have exploited the new opportunities by expanding their international English-language versions at lower cost and, most notably in Nikkei's case, by acquiring the global English language brand the Financial Times and developing joint products with it for the Asian market. Others, however, are feeling a long, slow squeeze from declining circulations and advertising revenues, while facing new competition from digital-only start-ups and struggling to convert their own output for the digital age. Into this mix has come politics, just like in Europe and America, with nationalist politicians and governments seeking to influence and manipulate media while it is in this weaker state. This lecture will explore what international experience tells us about how mass media has evolved amid this contest between opportunities and threats, how the Japanese media experience compares, and what this might mean for the future. 

For more information please email (opens in a new window)Naonori.Kodate@ucd.ie