Finding alternative business models - WEF

Featuring some of the pioneers who are launching news websites with non-traditional business models: journalism funded by foundations, or paid directly by the public, the session will provide an update to publishers and editors on these, and other, new business models.

Confirmed speakers in the session include Paul Steiger, editor-in-chief and founder of ProPublica in the USA, who will be the keynote speaker, John Yemma, editor-in-chief of the Christian Science Monitor, Olav Bergo, editorial advisor for A-pressen in Norway, and David Cohn, founder of Spot.us and a winner of the Knight News Challenge. Patrice Schneider, director of development for the Media Development Loan Fund, will moderate the session.

Steiger of ProPublica is the former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

Yemma, who spent 20 years at The Boston Globe before joining The Christian Science Monitor, has changed the Monitor's publication model by moving its daily operation to the web and converting its print paper to a weekly.

Bergo has long played a major editorial role in Norway, one of the strongest newspaper markets in the world, and is now advising A-Pressen's editorial operations in its multimedia evolution. He has been nominated by the Norwegian government to explore new business models.

Cohn's Spot.us lets the community commission news stories from professional journalists by donating small amounts of money towards the stories that they would like to follow.

For the full conference programme and registration information, go to www.wanlebanon2010.com.