Media Re:public, a project of the The Berkman Center for Internet and Society, today released their long-awaited report on the state of networked digital media.

The report, “Media Re:public, News and Information as Digital Media Come of Age,” analyzes the challenges and opportunities of networked digital media. While United States media is the primary focus, the report addresses structural, economic, and news and information-gathering trends that are relevant to the entire world. As such, it's relevant for anyone interested in the effects of digital media technologies on news media, on citizen participation in media, and on the future shape of our collective media experience.

Multimedia intro to the project: Media Re:public: News and Information as Digital Media Come of Age

The key message of the report is:

A myriad of innovative new media organizations have sprung up to take advantage of the opportunities that stem from low-cost distribution networks. Meanwhile the economic base of many of the large media companies continues to erode. Despite the demonstrated success of many new media enterprises, the euphoria over the rise of participatory media has been tempered by concerns over the quality and credibility of online media, the possible fragmentation of audiences, a decline in editorial standards and the persistent challenge of effectively reporting the news.

In addition to the main report, the Media Re:public includes a dozen supplementary papers and case studies, on subjects such as digital media literacy, democracy and media, and the role of editors in a networked media environment. Global Voices’ co-founder Ethan Zuckerman also  contributes an article on international news in the digital age. Ethan's key point:

Given the decreasing coverage of international stories in commercial media, it's a poor idea to wait for research to begin exploring new strategies for presenting international news to American audiences. Media outlets – commercial and otherwise – concerned with delivering international news need to experiment with new strategies in storytelling, connecting personal stories to international events, and presenting international stories in conjunction with stories more likely to catch the viewer's eye.

Media Re:public blog and comments on the project can be found here