Journalists are struggling to find their place following a “massive shift of power” away from newspapers and into the hands of the smartphone-carrying public, according to former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger.

Speaking at a Guardian Live event last night marking the launch of his new book, Breaking News: The Remaking Of Journalism And Why It Matters Now, Rusbridger said prior to the digital revolution newspapers “almost handed down news”.

“Now 4bn people can talk to each other and everything is moving on a horizontal plane,” he said, pointing to this “gigantic revolution” as the “biggest issue” facing journalism and society more broadly.