梅鐸︰互聯網了結傳媒巨頭——由精英到博客

有朋友千叮萬囑要我把這文章放到 inmedia，我信手剪貼。
Internet means end for media
barons, says Murdoch

· Magnate hails second great age of discovery
· Power
'moving from the old elite to bloggers'

Owen Gibson, media
correspondent
Tuesday March 14, 2006
The Guardian

Rupert Murdoch last night sounded the death knell for the era of the media
baron, comparing today's internet pioneers with explorers such as Christopher
Columbus and John Cabot and hailing the arrival of a "second great age of
discovery".

The News Corp media magnate nurtures a long-held distaste for "the
establishment" but last night confided to one of the few clubs to which he does
belong - The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers - that he may
be among the last of a dying breed.

"Power is moving away from the old elite in our industry - the editors, the
chief executives and, let's face it, the proprietors," said Mr Murdoch, having
flown into London from New York after celebrating his 75th birthday on
Saturday.

Far from mourning its passing, he evangelised about a digital future that
would put that power in the hands of those already launching a blog every
second, sharing photos and music online and downloading television programmes on
demand. "A new generation of media consumers has risen demanding content
delivered when they want it, how they want it, and very much as they want it,"
he said. Indicating he had little desire to slow down despite his advancing
years, he told the 603-year-old guild that he was looking forward, not back.

"It is difficult, indeed dangerous, to underestimate the huge changes this
revolution will bring or the power of developing technologies to build and
destroy - not just companies but whole countries."
<!--
D(["mb","</p><p>The owner of Fox News added: "Never has the\nflow of information and ideas, of hard news and reasoned comment, been\nmore important. The force of our democratic beliefs is a key weapon in\nthe war against religious fanaticism and the terrorism it breeds."</p><p>Refusing\nto reminisce over a career that saw him develop a global empire\nstretching from DirecTV and the New York Post in the US to Sky and the\nSun in the UK via assets in South America, Asia and Australia, he\ndeclared: "I believe we are at the dawn of a golden age of information\n- an empire of new knowledge."</p><p>But he combined his new-found\nenthusiasm for the digital future with a "change or die" message for\nthe monolithic media empires of the 20th century.</p><p>"Societies or\ncompanies that expect a glorious past to shield them from the forces of\nchange driven by advancing technology will fail and fall," he warned.\n"That applies as much to my own, the media industry, as to every other\nbusiness on the planet." Two hundred liverymen and freemen of the trade\nguild were joined by family and friends who then dined in Stationers\'\nHall, a Grade 1 listed building near St Paul\'s Cathedral in London.</p><p>He\nhad some words of hope for his industry peers buffeted by declining\ncirculations, free titles and the internet. "I believe traditional\nnewspapers have many years of life but, equally, I think in the future\nthat newsprint and ink will be just one of many channels to our\nreaders," he said, predicting a future in which "media becomes like\nfast food" with consumers watching news, sport and film clips as they\ntravel, on mobile phones or handheld wireless devices.</p><p>"Great\njournalism will always attract readers. The words, pictures and\ngraphics that are the stuff of journalism have to be brilliantly\npackaged; they must feed the mind and move the heart," he enthused.</p><p>Following its chairman\'s change of heart, News Corp has splashed out close to $1bn (£578m) on internet investments.",1]
);

//-->

The owner of Fox News added: "Never has the flow of information and ideas, of
hard news and reasoned comment, been more important. The force of our democratic
beliefs is a key weapon in the war against religious fanaticism and the
terrorism it breeds."

Refusing to reminisce over a career that saw him develop a global empire
stretching from DirecTV and the New York Post in the US to Sky and the Sun in
the UK via assets in South America, Asia and Australia, he declared: "I believe
we are at the dawn of a golden age of information - an empire of new
knowledge."

But he combined his new-found enthusiasm for the digital future with a
"change or die" message for the monolithic media empires of the 20th
century.

"Societies or companies that expect a glorious past to shield them from the
forces of change driven by advancing technology will fail and fall," he warned.
"That applies as much to my own, the media industry, as to every other business
on the planet." Two hundred liverymen and freemen of the trade guild were joined
by family and friends who then dined in Stationers' Hall, a Grade 1 listed
building near St Paul's Cathedral in London.

He had some words of hope for his industry peers buffeted by declining
circulations, free titles and the internet. "I believe traditional newspapers
have many years of life but, equally, I think in the future that newsprint and
ink will be just one of many channels to our readers," he said, predicting a
future in which "media becomes like fast food" with consumers watching news,
sport and film clips as they travel, on mobile phones or handheld wireless
devices.

"Great journalism will always attract readers. The words, pictures and
graphics that are the stuff of journalism have to be brilliantly packaged; they
must feed the mind and move the heart," he enthused.

Following its chairman's change of heart, News Corp has splashed out close to
$1bn (£578m) on internet investments.
<!--
D(["mb","</p><p>Most\ntellingly, the company spent $400m on MySpace.com, the social\nnetworking phenomenon that has proved hugely popular with 35m regular\nusers on both sides of the Atlantic. Mr Murdoch has undergone a\nDamascene conversion, admitting he hugely underestimated the power of\nthe web. He said last night: "It is a creative, destructive technology\nthat is still in its infancy, yet breaking and remaking everything in\nits path. We are all on a journey, not just the privileged few, and\ntechnology will take us to a destination that is defined by the limits\nof our creativity, our confidence and our courage."</p></div>\n\n",0]
);
D(["ce"]);

//-->

Most tellingly, the company spent $400m on MySpace.com, the social networking
phenomenon that has proved hugely popular with 35m regular users on both sides
of the Atlantic. Mr Murdoch has undergone a Damascene conversion, admitting he
hugely underestimated the power of the web. He said last night: "It is a
creative, destructive technology that is still in its infancy, yet breaking and
remaking everything in its path. We are all on a journey, not just the
privileged few, and technology will take us to a destination that is defined by
the limits of our creativity, our confidence and our courage."

The Dawn of A New
Age of Discovery: Media 2006

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief
executive of News Corporation, today delivered the Annual Livery Lecture at The
Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers In London

Monday March 13, 2006

Thank you very much for inviting me to give this annual address.
It is an honour to join such distinguished company and to share with you some
thoughts on the huge changes that will reshape the human experience in the 21st
century.

I think everyone in this magnificent hall would agree that the world is
changing at a pace never experienced by our ancestors. As that great American
scientist, Freeman Dyson, has said, the technological revolution is like an
explosion which is tearing apart the static world of our ancestors and replacing
it with a new world that spins 1,000 times faster.

The scientific revolution that began 300 years ago in Europe has accelerated
exponentially, spreading knowledge at a speed that will, I believe, change our
way of life.

It is difficult, indeed dangerous, to underestimate the huge changes this
revolution will bring or the power of developing technologies to build and to
destroy - not just companies but whole countries.

For instance, we probably haven't heard the name of what will be the world's
largest company in 2020. Indeed that company may not even exist yet - although I
hope that it does, and that I know its name!

Societies or companies that expect a glorious past to shield them from the
forces of change driven by advancing technology will fail and fall.

That applies as much to my own, the media industry, as to every other
business on the planet.

Power is moving away from the old elite in our industry - the editors, the
chief executives and, let's face it, the proprietors.

A new generation of media consumers has risen demanding content delivered
when they want it, how they want it, and very much as they want it.

This new media audience - and we are talking here of tens of millions of
young people around the world - is already using technology, especially the web,
to inform, entertain and above all to educate themselves.

This knowledge revolution empowers the reader, the student, the cancer
patient, the victim of injustice, anyone with a vital need for the right
information.

It is part of wider changes that reach far beyond the media industry.

I will discuss those changes in a minute, but let me first say that I
understand why many people find the speed and direction of change so
unsettling.

To them, this is the age of anxiety, an age in which technology and science
seem to pose huge threats, rather than present great opportunities. And it is
perfectly true that we do face some daunting challenges.

Let us consider some of them.

How will the old nations of Europe cope with the economic rise of nations
such as China and India?

Will the US and Britain remain immune from the challenge of these emerging
superpowers?

Can we find victory over a new and harrowing form of terrorism carried out in
the name of Islam?

We should not fool ourselves. There are no civilians and no chance of a
negotiated peace in this war.

How do we contain unstable regimes in North Korea and Iran that are bent on,
and very close to, developing nuclear weapons?

How are we to provide food and water for a global population that is set to
rise from 6.4 billion today, to 9.2 billion in 2050?

As we ponder these and other truly momentous questions, we would not be human
if we did not look into the eyes of our children and grandchildren and sometimes
wonder what world we will be leaving them.

My argument this evening is that, whatever our fears, we actually live in a
second great age of discovery.

I believe that the fusion of technology and science allied to the natural
creativity embedded in the human spirit will enable us to surmount the dangers
we undoubtedly face, and forge a better world for all of us.

And equally I believe that what is loosely called the media will play a
crucial role in shaping that destiny by facilitating the flow of ideas and the
interaction of creative minds. Never has the flow of information and ideas, of
hard news and reasoned comment, been more important.

The force of our democratic beliefs is a key weapon in the war against
religious fanaticism and the terrorism that it breeds.

Remember, it was ideas - the ideals of democracy allied to the free market -
as much as the economic collapse of the Soviet Union that brought the West
victory in the cold war.

The free flow of information is not just a building block of our democratic
system; it is also the fuel of the technological revolution.

We are making new discoveries across the spectrum of science: in medicine,
genetics, biology, physics and in every field of technology because information
is flowing like rivers between universities, drug and biotech companies,
libraries, laboratories, and public and private research centres. And, of
course, across most national boundaries.

That information is carried via print, newspapers, magazines and books. It is
carried on television, laptops, personal organisers, cell phones and, of course,
the web.

The media use all these platforms to give the public access to this waterfall
of information.

This is how public opinion is shaped. And we know how public opinion can make
history.

Let me give you an example.

Consider this splendid space, the Stationers' Hall, with its many coats of
arms mounted on these ancient walls. I hardly have to tell you that this Hall
was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London, and completed 333 years ago in
1673.

If you happened to be living in London that year, you would know that Europe
was briefly and uneasily at peace. You would hear the political gossip about
popish plots swirling around the court of King Charles the Second.

But you would not really know what was going on beyond the shores of this
island, or perhaps even in the next town.

You would not know, for instance, that British power in North America was
being challenged on an issue - taxation - that would lead to revolution.

You would not know, of course, because there was no means of finding out.
There were no newspapers and obviously no radio or TV. The little information
available was circulated via pamphlets and filtered through coffee shop
conversations.

But history in those early years of the 1670s was, as ever, on the march.

A year after this hall was finished, a small event in the British colonies of
America went un-remarked upon elsewhere in the world. Philip Carteret, governor
of New Jersey, launched a campaign to enforce payment of quitrents, land taxes
raised by Parliament in London.

The Governor's decision turned simmering resistance into local rebellion. The
rebellion petered out, but a fuse had been lit that flared through the 13
colonies leading to the revolution of 1776 and the creation of the United States
of America.

Yet it took 100 years from that unnoticed event in New Jersey before English
Rule in North America was ended.

Think what would have happened had the news of the tax revolt in New Jersey
been made public throughout England and Europe as those events unfolded across
the Atlantic. Think of the pressure on monarchy and parliament from a people
weary of war and foreign involvements.

Think of the great excitement in France at another chance to do down the
ancient foe.

Historians will argue forever about what might have been.

Let me join them and entertain you with this thought:

If print technology had allowed The Times newspaper to launch 100 years
before it actually did in 1785, the American Revolution - and everything that
flowed from it - might have happened much earlier.

Had The Times reported the growing fury in the last decade of the 17th
century among the North American colonies at taxes imposed by government in
London, do we think it would have taken another 100 years before revolution
ended colonial rule? I doubt it.

Since those days, and especially since the rise of the popular press at the
turn of the 19th century, the power of the media to influence events and drive
change has grown hugely.

But, as I said earlier, power is moving away from those who own and manage
the media to a new and demanding generation of consumers - consumers who are
better educated, unwilling to be led, and who know that in a competitive world
they can get what they want, when they want it.

The challenge for us in the traditional media is how to engage with this new
audience.

There is only one way.

That is by using our skills to create and distribute dynamic, exciting
content. King Content, the Economist called it recently. But - and this is a
very big BUT - newspapers will have to adapt as their readers demand news and
sport on a variety of platforms: websites, iPods, mobile phones or laptops.

I believe traditional newspapers have many years of life left but, equally, I
think in the future that newsprint and ink will be just one of many channels to
our readers.

As we all know, newspapers have already created large audiences for their
content online and have provided readers with added value features such as email
alerts, blogs, interactive debate, and podcasts.

Content is being repurposed to suit the needs of a contemporary audience.

This divergence from the traditional platform of newsprint will continue,
indeed accelerate for a while.

The same is true of television.

Sky has already started putting programmes onto PCs and mobile phones.

That old square television box in the corner of the room may soon be dead but
the television industry is seizing the opportunities thrown up by the technology
revolution.

PVRs - personal video recorders - streaming live TV onto mobile phones -
beaming programmes onto computers via IPTV - internet broadcasts - this wave of
innovation gives the consumer huge choice at relatively low cost.

So, media becomes like fast food - people will consume it on the go, watching
news, sport and film clips as they travel to and from work on mobiles or
handheld wireless devices like Sony's PSP, or others already in test by our
satellite companies.

This does not mean that television and newspapers need lose their historic
role of keeping people informed about what is happening in the world around
them.

Given the speed of change around us that role has never been more important.
Consider the field of medicine where science fiction is becoming science fact.
We have learned more about how to prevent and treat cancer in the last 10 years
than in the history of mankind.

That is the stated view of the American Cancer Society.

Here is another view from the National Cancer Institute in the US :

"By the year 2015 we aim to see the elimination of death and suffering due to
cancer."

What has prompted two such reputable organisations to make these huge claims
- claims that will, if true, change the lives of millions of people on this
planet?

Three years ago a group of scientists made a breathtaking breakthrough by
publishing a genetic map showing the DNA breakdown of the human race.

Driven by ever-more-powerful computers, the new science of DNA is giving us
control over the evolution of most life forms and most critically of our own
human existence.

It means that scientists are gaining the power to create plant and animal
life with the specific intention of feeding more people with better food, with
curing people of a range of diseases: the power to enable people to lead far
better lives.

It means that medicine has been changed forever.

Already DNA knowledge is being used to manufacture human hormones, reduce
heart blockages, shrink tumours and treat multiple sclerosis.

Little wonder that governments, universities and the big drug companies are
investing billions into DNA related research.

The DNA breakthrough happened because, throughout their research, scientists
in the US were able to post their findings on the web, drawing information and
inspiration from colleagues around the world.

The internet was crucial to that astonishing development and I am sure that
the web will continue its rapid development as the prime media channel for
information, entertainment, business and social contact.

One of the reasons I say that is the success of a company we bought last year
called MySpace.com.

This is a networking site in which millions of people, aged mainly between 16
and 34, talk online to each other about music, film, dating, travel, whatever
interests them.

They share pictures, videos and blogs, forming virtual communities.

Since launch just two years ago, the site has acquired 60 million registered
users, 35 million of whom are regular users. This is a generation, now popularly
referred to as the "MySpace generation", talking to itself in a world without
frontiers.

It is just one example of how the media, with its ability to reach millions
with information, entertainment and education can use the achievements of
technology to create better and more interesting lives for a great many
people.

And it is one reason why I believe we are at the dawn of a golden age of
information - an empire of new knowledge.

But knowledge alone is not a magic wand which can be waved to banish poverty
and produce riches. Life is not like that.

Consider the words of the Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, President of the
California Institute of Technology, who said recently.

"We are creating a world in which it will be imperative for each individual
to have sufficient scientific literacy to understand the new riches of knowledge
so that he can use them wisely."

There you have it.

Those people, those companies, those nations which understand and use this
new knowledge will be the ones to prosper and grow strong in our age of
discovery.

History is populated with examples of how knowledge can transform the
fortunes of a small company, a weak nation, a threatened tribe.

The caveman who first struck fire from a flint was possessed of knowledge
that made him master of his universe - although not for long.

Knowledge, in the form of superior technology, won Nelson the Battle of
Trafalgar. His brilliantly aggressive tactics decided the scale of the victory.

The victory itself was won before a shot had been fired.

The British ships had faster firing, more accurate, guns and better
gunpowder.

That technological advantage ensured victory and allowed the British control
of the seas in the decades that followed, contributing directly to the
prosperity and innovation of the Victorian era.

From the wheel to the web, from the printing press to fibre optic cable, it
has always been technology that has driven history. Those in the driving seat
have always been those who fully understood and used that technology.

Today one of our great challenges is to understand and seize the
opportunities presented by the web.

It is a creative, destructive, technology that is still in its Infancy, yet
breaking and remaking everything it its path.

The web is changing the way we do business, the way we talk to each other and
the way we enjoy ourselves.

As old and new technologies merge, the questions multiply: Will the internet
kill fixed-line telephony? It is already happening via VoIP - Voice Over
Internet Protocol.

When high-speed broadband pipes TV and film onto enhanced computer screens at
home, what happens to the television companies, the film studios and indeed
newspapers?

I pose these questions - and there are many more thrown up by the web - in
this context.

There are about 1 billion people in the world who have access to computers,
although only about 10% to broadband.

In 20 or 30 years there will be 6 billion such people, or two-thirds of the
human race. We know the $100 laptop is on the way. In a few years, there could
be a $50 laptop.

It would be folly for me to stand here and pretend I know what this really
means in any detail for future generations.

But I will answer a question I suspect is forming in your minds.

What happens to print journalism in an age where consumers are increasingly
being offered on-demand, interactive, news, entertainment, sport and classifieds
via broadband on their computer screens, TV screens, mobile phones and
handsets?

The answer is that great journalism will always attract readers. The words,
pictures and graphics that are the stuff of journalism have to be brilliantly
packaged; they must feed the mind and move the heart.

And, crucially, newspapers must give readers a choice of accessing their
journalism in the pages of the paper or on websites such as Times Online or -
and this is important - on any platform that appeals to them, mobile phones,
hand-held devices, ipods, whatever.

As I have said newspapers may become news-sites.

As long as news organisations create must-read, must-have content, and
deliver it in the medium that suits the reader, they will endure.

Great content always has been, and I think always will be, king of the media
castle.

Caxton's printing press marked a revolution that is with us 500 years later.

But the history of that revolution is not one in which the new wipes out the
old. Radio did not destroy newspapers, television did not destroy radio and
neither eliminated the printing of books.

And whatever you think about Hollywood, the film industry is very much alive.

Each wave of new technology in our industry forced an improvement in the old.
Each new medium forced its predecessor to become more creative and more relevant
to the consumer.

I began by saying that some people find the changes we all face daunting.

This is understandable because we all fear the unknown.

In the first Age of Discovery, some six hundred years ago, the great European
explorers stood on the rim of the known world and set sail, literally, into the
unknown.

Technology had given them ships equipped, although barely so, for long
voyages. Science provided rudimentary navigational aids, and royal and private
treasuries the financing. But what sent Bartolomeu Dias, Christopher Columbus,
John Cabot and Henry the Navigator across the ocean was not just a quest for new
trade routes to the East.

They consciously sought to expand the horizons of humanity, to risk their
lives to find a new world.

That is where we are today. We are immeasurably better equipped than our
ancestors to face the challenges posed by some of the issues I have raised this
evening.

But we must not lose our nerve. We must be prepared to take risks and accept
that we will make mistakes, sometimes very large ones. Above all we must have
what those great seafaring explorers had in abundance: the courage to use the
technological change that is unfolding around us to help make a better
world.

We are all on a journey, not just the privileged few, and technology will
take us to a destination that is defined by the limits of our creativity, our
confidence and our courage.