“From Paper to Persona: Managing Privacy and Information Overload; Sustaining Journalism in an Attention Age,” explains how a new public-benefit collaboration could help slow the shrinking of American journalism.

Because of Internet technology, mass-market advertising and the news have come unglued. For the public, information is accessible, but not always trustworthy. Because it is abundant, it’s value varies, because it takes more of our time and attention to make sense of it. In an Attention Age, intrusive marketing technologies can compromise privacy.

News organizations need new revenues to improve journalism’s service to participatory democracy. They might provide a new service to the public besides selling ads and stories. Managing the privacy and information preferences of individuals is one such opportunity.