This is an edited extract of a speech given yesterday by Mark Scott at the book launch of Australian Journalism Today. Since I accepted Matthew Ricketson's kind invitation to launch this book on this date, three things have happened. That's not to say I wouldn't have accepted the invitation had I anticipated these things Matthew, but perhaps I would have asked for danger money. Firstly, it appears that virtually every author of a chapter in this book has been attacked in one way or another in recent weeks by The Australian. Secondly, the ABC itself has suffered a further tickle up from Rupert Murdoch's broadsheet, accused of being an epicentre of groupthink. And finally, we are in the midst of unprecedented speculation about the nature of job cuts and restructuring set to descend on both News Limited and Fairfax, our largest and most significant newspaper organisations. Now, before making any comments on any of these matters, in the interests of full and open disclosure, I would like to make the following declarations: I have spoken to Margaret Simons on occasion in the past. I declare I have read her writings on the media. I further declare I have not read nor followed her writings on gardening, as the state of my backyard attests. Furthermore, I declare that Matthew Ricketson is taller than me. I want to talk about the current state of the industry, its impact on the nature and future of journalism craft in this country and the audience