Media Advisory - Digital First. Print Last. The Gospel According to John Paton

TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation presents its next CJF Forum "Digital First. Print Last. The Gospel According to John Paton" in conversation with Douglas Knight, president of St. Joseph Media Thursday, February 16, 7:00 p.m. at the TMX Broadcast Centre Gallery, Toronto.

Paton's strategy for saving the newspaper industry has been closely watched and considered controversial. The CEO of New York based Digital First Media, he is transforming a chain of 150 papers including established titles like The Denver Post, The Detroit News and the San Jose Mercury News.

"More than any other newspaper executive today, John Paton is taking ideas out of think pieces and putting them into practice," says Joshua Benton, director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University. "At a time where most of the industry's innovation is happening at national and global players, Paton's trying to build a sustainable model from the bottom up, starting in small towns and moving up from there."

Paton, a Canadian, believes that digital is where the money is and he's got the track record to back that up.

"Among other feats, he increased digital revenue by over 200 percent in his first full year as chief executive (of the Journal Register Company)," writes media reporter David Carr in the New York Times. "Mr. Paton has become something of a darling among media thinkers for putting his business where his rhetoric is."

The news industry is watching closely: major media executives will be among those attending the Forum to hear Paton, named "Publisher of the Year" in 2009 by Editor & Publisher magazine. 

WHERE: TMX Broadcast Centre Gallery, The Exchange Tower, 130 King St. W., Toronto

WHEN: Thursday, February 16
Registration 6:45 p.m. / Presentation 7:00 p.m. / Reception 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 or free with student ID. Please register at http://cjfpaton.eventbrite.com

Media Contact:
Wendy Kan
Program Manager
Canadian Journalism Foundation
416-955-0394 x502
[email protected]