Economic theory predicts, and reality confirms, that state and local watchdog reporting is underprovided in news markets. This talk will explore what types of public policies could help sustain the watchdog function of the media. The discussion will include nonprofit models, behavioral ad targeting, computational journalism, and campaign finance reform.

Jay Hamilton is the Charles S. Sydnor Professor of Public Policy at Duke University.  He is the author of All the News That’s Fit to Sell: How the Market Transforms Information into News.

This lecture is part of a new speaker series at North Gate Hall devoted to the future of journalism.