The festival will host a series of 4 panel discussions run in association with the Columbia Journalism Review from the recently-initiated series Press Forward: dialogues on the future of news. Moderators (and authors of the series) Megan Garber and Justin Peters of the CJR.

1. Common Knowledge: On the benefits and dangers of niche news, and why the democratization of information, is, in some ways, at odds with democracy itself. How can we preserve community–and facts themselves–in a news environment that is increasingly fragmented? Confirmed speakers Brooke Gladstone host and managing editor of the US National Public Radio newsmagazine On the Media, Richard Sambrook director of BBC Global News, Vittorio Zambardino new media expert La Repubblica

2. Something to Talk About: The Web is often best used as a communications tool. Can and should news organizations rethink their Web strategies in order to acknowledge this? Confirmed speakers Emily Bell director of digital content Guardian News and Media, Marco Pratellesi editor Corriere della Sera online, Josh Young social media editor of The Huffington Post

3. Trust Falls: It’s no longer enough for news organizations to assume that their readers will trust them. Now, they have to actively court their trust and loyalty. A discussion on the nature of authority, credibility, and trust in the old media and new media worlds. Confirmed speakers Fabrice Florin founder and executive director of NewsTrust.net, Laura Oliver editor journalism.co.uk, Luca Sofri wittgenstein.it

4. Tell Me a Story: What happens to traditional narrative techniques as we transition into the short-form world of the Web? And what are the broader implications of that transition–aesthetically and psychologically and culturally? We’ll talk about the fate of story in a “quick-hit” news environment. Confirmed speakers Alessandro Gilioli L’Espresso, Andrea Pitzer editor of the Nieman Narrative Digest of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University