Freelance event explores effect of social media on news products, 6:30 pm March 16

The Freelance Committee and the Events Committee are teaming up for the next installment of the National Press Club’s “Digital” series at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, in the conference rooms.

The session -- “Where should news be and how do we get there?” -- will explore the trend of social media channels that have moved or are moving into news production. The panel discussion will feature multimedia journalists.

The event will kick off with networking at 6:30 p.m. followed by the panel discussion from 7 until 8 and then Q&A from 8 to 8:30.

Carmen Russell, a freelancer whose work appears in National Geographic, the Mint Press and NBC News will be the moderator. One confirmed panelists is Margarita Noriega, currently the director of social media for Newsweek who has held similar positions with Vox, Fusion, American Public Media and Reuters. Another panelist is Nicholas Johnston, a Bloomberg News managing editor.

The journalists will explain how firms like Twitter, Facebook and Buzzfeed have transformed the culture by defining the rules for social media and are now dispensing news in one form or another.

Among the questions that will be tackled: Does the brand name behind the news matter to those who are consuming it? Where is the news actually coming from? What does the future hold for newspapers, broadcast news organizations and cable news channels?

The event will also be live tweeted at #NPCLive.