The Impact of Digital Technology on Journalism and Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Impact of Digital Technology on Journalism and Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean is the report from the Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas, held at the University of Texas, Austin, in September 2009.

The forum, which the Open Society Foundations co-sponsored with the Knight Center, hosted representatives from 18 countries to discuss the impact of the digital transition on the media industry, democracy and political reporting, investigative journalism, and new media.

The report uses qualitative analysis of the personal and organizational experiences of forum participants through the transition process. Among the topics discussed in the document are the use of social media; the need for digital training; dealing with online user comments; and the use of digital technology by governments to spy on journalists. The report also includes proposals for collaboration on training, new business models for investigative journalism, and dissemination of news on new media platforms.