Analysis: Our Studies, Commentaries and Backgrounders

In the ninth and last of our summer roundtable discussions on the future of the news media, bloggers and analysts discuss how the Internet is transforming the gathering and delivery of information and also offer their ideas on what traditional news organizations must do to keep pace and remain relevant.

Now that the hype and the waiting is finally over, how did Katie Couric do on her historic opening night at the CBS anchor desk? Not so great, according to dozens of TV critics and commentators who offered up mostly mixed or negative reviews of her inaugural broadcast and snide remarks about her wardrobe.

In the eighth of our roundtable discussions on the future of the news media, representatives of the alternative newsweekly industry survey the changes facing these once comfortably niched papers.

Officials of Al Jazeera International discuss their plans for launching the English-language version of the controversial Arab news channel. Why the long delays? Is the network anti-American? That, plus, a chronology of the rocky relationship between Al Jazeera and the US government.

While much of US news media endured shrinking audiences recently, ethnic media have seen growth. In our seventh roundtable discussion, industry analysts assess the growing clout of ethnic news outlets in the US as well as the formidable business challenges they face, including slowing industry growth.

A primer on podcasting - includes sections on audience data, where to go to download podcasts, the economics of the medium, and tips on how one can create a podcast.