Simons and Condon on the future of journalism; Brisbane event

We’ve been discussing issues about the future of the media and of journalism here at LP over a sustained period of time, and many will be aware of Margaret Simons’ work and commentary on these issues. She, along with Queensland writer and journalist Matthew Condon, will be speaking in Brisbane on Thursday night. Blurb provided by Kate Eltham from the Queensland Writers’ Centre:

QWC’s final Wordpool for 2009 is The Content Makers: the future of journalism presented by award-winning writer and Crikey blogger Margaret Simons, and moderated by author and journalist Matthew Condon.

This is a FREE event, co-presented with the State Library of Queensland, on Thursday 22 October at 6:30pm.

I urge you to get to this one, not just because Margaret Simons is a brilliant and charming speaker, or because her book The Content Makers lays out a frightening assessment of the future of media in Australia. She is and it does.

I urge you to get to this one because you work in the content industries and if you’re a writer, or a publisher or a bookseller or an academic or even a conscientious blogger and you think the issues affecting newspapers and journalism are limited to the Rupert Murdochs of the world, then this presentation will make you think pretty hard about your own industry’s future.

Margaret Simons is well known in Australia for her journalism with The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Monthly, Griffith REVIEW and her blogging for Crikey.com.au. But she doesn’t get up our way very often and I encourage you not to miss this fantastic opportunity to hear her speak.

Matthew Condon’s scribblings in The Courier-Mail are of course familiar to us. He is also the author of ten novels and short story collections including A Night at the Pink Poodle and The Trout Opera.

Wordpool: The Content Makers

When: 6:30pm, Thursday 22 October
Where: The Studio, Level 1, State Library of Queensland (South Brisbane)
Cost: FREE

Info and bookings: 3839 1243 or online here.