FLSP

Economics professor at Miami Herbert Business School specializing in media, sustainability & global talent.

Miami, Los Angeles & Hong Kong

FLSP

Economics professor at Miami Herbert Business School specializing in media, sustainability & global talent.

Miami, Los Angeles & Hong Kong

Florida Sustainability Partners

About

FLSP offers professional news reporting, strategic communication, digital publishing and mobile production services to media organizations.

FLSP advises executives, managers and investors on integrated reporting (GRI/SASB/TCFD/CDP), sustainability analysis & assurance (ESG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

FLSP develops and manages talent across diverse markets and higher education (UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Miami) under its unique, interactive advertising subsidiary: Father Agent.

Blog

A World Beyond The Press (unedited)

MIAMI— Hurricane Irma, one of the most devastating storms to hit the state of Florida, revealed an important thing about the future of news: Digital tools enable the legacy press (as a First Amendment institution) to melt while simultaneously empowering citizens and reinventing democracy (but not their business model).

With a hollowing out of seniority within newsrooms amid the recent U.S. financial crisis, the quality of national discourse, especially on television, has plummeted during the last 10 years. Industry novices, pundits and duopoly politicians appear around-the-clock to maintain the status quo.‬ In other words, there has been a professional decapitation (deforestation) of the national press corps through an unholy convergence of competitiveness theory and technological disruption.

However, the emergence of a modern, nonprofit news industry has roots in the tradition of editorial independence; a time when reporting was not beholden to management, advertising and online popularity. Local communities that were once the source and focus of reporting coverage are actually a potential new landscape of embedded citizenship factories deepening democratization through digital connections.

Citizenship isn’t voyeurism. Reporting isn’t an office job. The corporate concentration of a hierarchial, profit-driven media headquartered in New York City has usurped the modern capacity of citizens trapped in this Matrix to remain impactful. Digital tools give back that capacity.

Every economic unit is now a media organization. The rise of interactivity as a new medium of exchange enables direct connections between global supply and demand. This modern market cuts out the middle where many business models lived in the 20th Century.

To embrace digital evolution, ‪legacy news organizations must not only reinvent their business models (on a nonprofit basis) but also reimagine their overall role as press. Legacy news networks based in New York City manufacture a virtual reality using current events and a cast of hand-picked reality tv characters chosen from connected circles within an establishment elite. Its function as infotainment ignores public interest, accountability and service.

Furthermore, in a 21st Century dominated by digital media, American freedoms of speech and press are no longer separate rights. They have converged in practice. To date, social media platforms like Twitter enable self-identified media to create ego-driven echo chambers for preaching to the choir instead of reinventing the institution to empower diverse, local and traditional audiences through measurable social impact. Traditional storytelling appears woefully archaic and insufficient when information and virtual connections are ubiquitous.

As a tool, social media embeds a new type of multidimensional reporting within communities enabling the creation of shared experiences. Distribution is no longer static at scale but becomes global, mobile and interactive. The act of sharing is the new medium of exchange for creating value-laden impact.‬ Experience is local.

‪The 20th Century notion that a free press is the exclusive domain of “journalists” is dead. Reporting tools are everywhere, even if professional ethics are not. Pretending that the world of democracy is still flat won’t change reality. Corporate media is a captured business model dependent on profit and ratings.‬ To claim that only legacy newspapers and cable news networks based in New York City are the true guardians of a free, independent press is a laughable interpretation. The First Amendment contains no such definition.

Thus, the reactionary drumbeat from legacy journalists that a free press is critical to democracy assumes a competitive landscape where reporters once break news in the public interest and everyone was still on the same page.

Sadly, rampant speculation, duopoly media and public relations disguised as news have become the norm.‬ Veteran journalists should recognize the dismal state of the profession before misrepresenting critical salvos on novice newsrooms and an outdated business model as attacks on a free press.

The First Amendment as an institution is much stronger than a traditional industry in decline. Until what’s left of the traditional U.S. press escapes from duopoly discourse and a sunken business model, it will continue its slow steady decline into oblivion.

But is there a bright side? Yes. The First Amendment won’t sink along with a tired way of informing the public.‬ Journalism is a worldview, a universal skill set built on trust and credentials. The modern newsroom is not just a place somewhere in space. It's a social network of shared democratic values among individuals serving in a multitude of economic roles.

Recent charges of "fake news" stem from New York-based media concentration, shallow editorial judgment, audience estrangement and ratings-driven punditry of novice newsrooms in the early 21st Century. Meanwhile, what's left of our modern, legacy press continues to reinvent itself out of existence with outdated assumptions.

Media

Conferences, Editorial & Presentations

CSOSS 2021: Address by HRH to the 4th Annual CSO Summit & Symposium - 03/24/2021

WEBINAR: ESG Measurement and Disclosure Challenges - 10/23/20

CONFERENCE: ESG Challenges Facing Professional Accountants - 10/22-23/20

WEBINAR: ESG Data, Auditing & Transparency in the Digital Age - 12/10/2019

WEBINAR: Designing a Sustainable Business Program - 12/10/2019

NEWS: Bright spot for U.S. solar industry in the 'Sunshine State' - 10/01/18

NEWS: Florida Boosts High-Speed Rail With New Regional Service - 05/18/2018

NEWS: The State v. Facebook - 03/27/2018

LEFT COAST: Don’t Write Off North Florida – 05/27/2015

COVER FEATURE: Q&A With Cover Model Attila Toth – 05/26/2015

COVER FEATURE: Casey Koslowski of The Grand Resort & Spa - 05/22/2015

LEFT COAST: Rise Of Orlando As Florida’s Global LGBT Mecca – 05/20/2015

LEFT COAST: Castro, Cuba Emerge As Huge Cultural Catalysts For LGBT Progress – 05/13/2015

LEFT COAST: Why It’s More Important Than Ever That We All Get Along – 05/06/2015

LEFT COAST: Despite Florida’s Enrollment, CIGNA Lawsuit Shows Obamacare Still Taking Root – 04/29/2015

COVER FEATURE: Meet Crossover King Darian Alvarez Of Miami’s D-Lab – 04/27/2015

LEFT COAST: Broward County Sheriff, LGBT Ally Scott Israel Is On His Way To A Second Term – 04/22/2015

LEFT COAST: Why Sen. Marco Rubio Should Not Be President – 04/14/2015

LEFT COAST: How Native American, Religious Rights Compare On Marriage Equality – 04/08/2015

LEFT COAST: Bottom Line: Florida Needs The Most Diverse, Inclusive Workplaces Pronto – 04/02/2015

COVER FEATURE: Meet This Week’s Cover Model: Aaron Currie – 04/01/2015

LEFT COAST: Where Does Patrick Murphy Stand On LGBT Equality? – 03/25/2015

LEFT COAST: America Showing Tremendous Leadership On LGBT Rights – 03/18/2015

LEFT COAST: Dating App SCRUFF Leads Pack With Branding, Footprint – 03/11/2015

LEFT COAST: Conscience Of The Commission: A Chat With Dean Trantalis – 03/04/2015

LEFT COAST: Conversion Is For Currencies, Not Sexual Orientation – 02/25/2015

LEFT COAST: Competitiveness: More Labor Needed To Avoid Business As Usual – 02/18/2015

NEWS: New Florida ‘Sin Tax’ Would Hit Strip Clubs Where It Hurts – 02/06/2015

NEWS: World Internet Body To Decide On New Gay Domain – 12/18/2014

LEFT COAST: Understanding The “Q” In LGBTQ – 10/15/2014

NEWS: WLRN TV At PAMM’s Opening Day – 12/05/2013

NEWS: Exclusive: See Meta Impact Of Sea-Level Rise On South Florida – 11/05/2013

NEWS: WLRN Special Report: Sea-Level Rise In South Florida – 11/05/2013

NEWS: Q&A With Paul Krugman: How Illiteracy In Economics Impacts U.S. Politics – 10/08/2013

NEWS: County Sees Ripple Effect From New Fort Lauderdale Streetcar – 07/10/2013

NEWS: Lutherans Help Urban Farm Take Root In Fort Lauderdale – 05/21/2013

NEWS: Miami Agency Enjoys Sweet Spot Of Gay Advertising – 05/21/2013

NEWS: The Fallibility of Sustainability Audits – 07/19/2012

PRESENTATION: Public Perception: Future Directions in Accounting (Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants) - 08/18/2011

Course Design

JMM108-N - Writing For The Digital Age (Fall 2015)

JMM108-N - Writing For The Digital Age (Spring 2016)

JMM208-1T - Fundamentals Of Newsgathering (Spring 2016)

JMM108-O3 - Writing For The Digital Age (Fall 2016)

JMM208-B - Fundamentals Of Newsgathering (Fall 2016)

BUS499-KY - Special Topics (Spring 2017)

JMM533-1J - Social Media For Journalists (Spring 2017)

JMM633-1J - Social Media (Spring 2017)

JMM108-Q - Writing For The Digital Age (Fall 2017)

JMM533-37 - Social Media For Journalists (Fall 2017)

JMM633-37 - Social Media (Fall 2017)

BUS498-KY - Special Topics in Business Administration (Spring 2018)

ECS373-KY - Topics in Ecosystem Science (Spring 2018)

JMM533-37 - Social Media For Journalists (Spring 2018)

JMM633-37 - Social Media (Spring 2018)

JMM108-34 - Writing for the Digital Age (Fall 2018)

JMM533-37 - Social Media (Fall 2018)

JMM633-37 - Social Media (Fall 2018)

BUS204-KY - Intro to Corporate Sustainability (Spring 2019)

ECS373-KY - Topics in Ecosystem Science (Spring 2019)

JMM533-37 - Social Media (Spring 2019)

JMM633-37 - Social Media (Spring 2019)

BUS628-02 - Multidisciplinary Action Projects (Fall 2019)

JMM108-T - Writing for the Digital Age (Fall 2019)

BUS204-KY - Intro to Corporate Sustainability (Spring 2020)

BUS628-01 - Multidisciplinary Action Projects (Spring 2020)

JMM285-T - Applied Statistics for Journalism & Media Management (Spring 2020)

BUS628-02 - Multidisciplinary Action Projects (Fall 2020)

BUS628-02X - Multidisciplinary Action Projects (Fall 2020)

JMM108-2T - Writing for the Digital Age (Fall 2020)

BUS204-G - Intro to Corporate Sustainability (Spring 2021)

BUS204-GX - Intro to Corporate Sustainability (Spring 2021)

BUS428-EF - Multidisciplinary Action Projects (Spring 2021)

BUS428-EFX - Multidisciplinary Action Projects (Spring 2021)

BUS628-03 - Multidisciplinary Action Projects (Spring 2021)

ECO698-01 - Sustainable Media (Spring 2021)

Case Study: A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PROJECT: Sustainable Fashion in South Florida

JMM592-P4 - Sustainable Media (Spring 2021)

JMM692-P4 - Sustainable Media (Spring 2021)

Network

Clients & Partners

American Tower Corp

AutoNation

Azzad Asset Management

BankTrack

Boardwalk Capital Management

Brickell Energy

Caelus Consulting

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

Climate Disclosure Standards Board

Coalition for Green Capital

Companies vs Climate Change

Conscious Capitalism

Deutsche Welle

E3G

Eaton Vance

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

GFG Capital

Global Impact Investing Network

Global Reporting Initiative

Goldman Sachs

Government Offices of Sweden

Green Investment Group

Global Green Growth Institute

Greenpeace USA

Green Sports Alliance

Hertz

International Energy Agency

International Federation of Accountants

International Integrated Reporting Council

International Society of Sustainability Professionals

Iroquois Valley Farms, Inc.

Itáu Unibanco

KPMG

Lloyd Crescendo Advisors

Lockheed Martin

Mastercard

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Mongabay.com

Office Depot

Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)

Principles for Responsible Investment

Public Banking Institute

Siemens

S&P Global

Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

Sustainability Curriculum Consortium

Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI)

Sustainalytics

TradePro / Solupac

UNEP, Finance Initiative

University of Miami, Miami Herbert Business School

University of Miami, School of Communication

U.S. Sustainable Investment Forum

W5 Group

Waste Management

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

FLSP

FLSP

Florida Sustainability Partners

About

Blog

A World Beyond The Press (unedited)

Media

Conferences, Editorial & Presentations

Course Design

Network

Clients & Partners

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