Author George Brock talks future of print journalism at Bull’s Head

Many might see print journalism as an old medium dying a slow death.

But author George Brock, head of journalism at the City University London, says the format is just sleeping, on the verge of waking up to an innovative future.

Brock will be reading at Bull’s Head Bookshop today from his book, “Out of Print,” which discusses the constantly changing field of journalism and challenges surrounding the future of the profession.

“When I took over the J-school at the City University London in 2009, I went to an awfully large number of conferences and seminars in which people were sitting around being extremely pessimistic and gloomy about the future of journalism,” Brock said.

“The more I listened to this the more I thought, ‘Hang on, there’s something wrong about this. This doesn’t sound right to me.’”

“Out of Print” details Brock’s opposing perspective that journalism is a constantly changing field and historically has gone through many evolutions — the technological age, he argues, is just the most recent transformation for journalism to weather.

“I think that perhaps George has been a journalist so long that he knows the industry inside and out,” said Michael Penny, assistant director of professional and international programs at the "UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication":http://www.dailytarheel.com/section/school_of_journalism_and_mass_communication.

Part of an American tour to promote his book, Brock is coming to UNC as a guest of the journalism school’s study abroad program, visiting the school that so many of his students as part of their own study abroad experiences.

“We have a very good student exchange with UNC. We value this exchange very much,” Brock said.

“Although some of my colleagues have been to UNC in the past few years, I haven’t managed to get to UNC myself, and it really is high time that I came.”

As for Brock’s reading at the Bull’s Head Bookshop, marketing and events manager Kyle McKay recognizes the talent that Brock is bringing to the event.

“I did not have any prior knowledge (of “Out of Print”). As soon as I looked him up, I knew he was a pretty big deal and that it would be a great event to bring to campus so students and faculty can ask him questions,” McKay said.

“He’s obviously an expert in his field. UNC has one of — if not the — top journalism programs in the country, so it makes a lot of sense to host an author like him.”

McKay said the specifics of the event would be left to Brock, but would likely involve a reading, a question-and-answer session and a signing, as the Bull’s Head is offering “Out of Print” at a discounted rate.

As an author, Brock said he enjoys the positive critical reviews he’s received, but more than anything else, he wants his readers to understand his book, even if they don’t agree with his perspective.

“If you’re a book author, what one likes is for people to say, ‘This is a great book,’ but it’s also nice to read reviews by people who’ve read the book and understood it, even if they may here or there disagree with you,” Brock said.

“I hope people enjoy it and find it useful, and I really look forward to having a dialogue with the audience about the book.”

arts@dailytarheel.com