I recently spent some time with Mike Wilson, USA-based president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists, who told me he's optimistic about the state of specialized publications such as farm media. Mike, executive editor of Farm Futures, noted how ag journalists seem to be keeping their jobs, while their daily media counterparts struggle with cutbacks. Mike was also an early blogger, and it seems online journalists like him are likewise upbeat (albeit cautiously) about the future, according to this fascinating survey of online journalists.
OWEN ROBERTS
Owen Roberts is a faculty member in the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications program at the University of Illinois. As an agricultural journalist, he is the past president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and a lifetime achievement award recipient from the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation. His programs and research papers have been recognized nationally and internationally through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence, and others.