Video: Jon Snow on journalism, he’s against paywalls and Murdoch but is embracing social media

Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow was in fine form delivering a lecture on “A changing media in a changing world” at Edinburgh University.

The talk, from a couple of weeks ago, is now available on Youtube in full and well worth a watch, but here are a few snippets:

New media:

“A year ago I felt social websites threatened to bleed TV. Now I’m a Twitter devotee. Social media sites have democratised journalism but if they are the conduit we are the hacks who hunt and hone . . . they must help finance the content.”

Rupert Murdoch:

“Disproportionately powerful; the 24^th member of the British Cabinet. Those who wield power in Britain should pay taxes here, too.”

Paywalls:

“Not in favour. Times online readership has plummeted, despite the spin. I’ll pay for specialist FT info, but little more. Aggregators should pay, and extract payment in turn from their advertisers.”

24-hour news:

“Very few people watch it. C4 News has almost a million viewers every night at 7pm while Sky News has 27,000. Politicians pay it too much heed.”

Look out for a cameo appearance by Press Gazette columnist David Banks in the 55th minute, who Snow describes as a “towering inferno of journalism”!