Undoubtedly the media industry is in a huge state of transformation. The proliferation of the Internet and social media platforms has forced traditional news outlets to adapt to the changing times and figure out how, exactly, to capture an audience while still making money. And no matter what news medium is used, the media plays a vital role in our democracy and society as a whole.
At the Aspen Ideas Festival in early July, we sat down with some of the top movers and shakers in the media industry to get their thoughts on new media developments and trends in their fields. These are people influencing media as we know it:
1. Maria Bartiromo @MariaBartiromo:
This award-winning CNBC anchor and author was named by The Financial Times as one of the "50 Faces That Shaped the Decade" in 2009. She talked to genConnect about taking risks at a young age, advice for young graduating journalists, her three rules of success, and her views on the U.S. financial standing and future. We asked Maria what drives the market - the data or emotions surrounding it? "With the Internet and with so many new sources of data and information, it has become more difficult for people to to assess that data, because you really have to figure out what's important and what isn't," she said. Although it's mostly data that drives the market, emotion does, as well. But "you don't really want to invest that way. That's not investing - that's trading," Maria says. "I'm a big proponent of understanding what the picture is today and where the vision is in terms of where you're going long-term … and not make knee-jerk reactions."
2. Andrea Mitchell @mitchellreports and Andrea Mitchell MSNBC:
This NBC foreign affairs correspondent, MSNBC anchor and author has interviewed some of the most influential people in the world. She talked to genConnect about her tough interview with the Iranian president, the Arab Spring and the key issues of the 2012 election.
3. Andrew Ross Sorkin @andrewrsorkin and andrewsorkin:
This accomplished young business reporter, New York Times columnist, and editor of DealBook took the business world by storm with his book, Too Big to Fail: How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System - and Themselves. Andrew talked to genConnect about Too Big to Fail, how traditional reporting helped him get insight from some of the biggest names in business today, and whether we'll ever understand exactly how our financial world neared collapse.
4. David Brooks:
This New York Times op-ed columnist has also been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard, a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly, and he is currently a commentator on "The Newshour with Jim Lehrer." In an interview with genConnect, where he spoke about most recent book, "The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement," Brooks talked about how he became the go-to guy for comments that may not sway consistently either left or right in America. "There are a lot of people that, if you just try to react honestly to what's happening … there are a number of us who just say what we think and there's a market for that," he said. As for how he comes up with new ideas for columns, Brooks said he tells college students: "Imagine having a paper due in three days and that's the rest of your life, so there's always a need to have ideas."
5. Chris Matthews @cmatthewsmsnbc and ChrisMatthewsMSNBC:
Chris Matthews is a journalist force to be reckoned with. The MSNBC "Hardball" host has covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa, the Good Friday Peace Accord in Northern Ireland, the funeral of Pope John Paul II and every American presidential election campaign since the 1980s. Matthews talked to genConnect about the qualities that make a tremendous politician.
Click here to find out who ranked in numbers 6-10
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