It is no secret that American media is in turmoil, with many longstanding fixtures in print journalism either folding or forced to layoff staff. Each week through the end of 2009, a different media insider will offer their perspective on what media will look like in 5, 10, or 15 years–and what will become of investigative journalism. The series includes commentary from John Nichols, Dan Rather, Jane Mayer, Victor Navasky, Ana Marie Cox, David Schimke and Nick Penniman.

This week, we talk to David Schimke, the Editor in Chief of Utne Reader, who spent 10 years working for Village Voice Media as a staff writer, managing editor, and media columnist, and brings his perspective on alternative media, local reporting and “alt weeklies” to the series. Schimke stresses the role of the trained citizen journalist in shaping future coverage–and how mainstream reporters should learn to stray beyond the press conference model of news. The media landscape is expanding, and Schimke worries that writers won’t expand their scope alongside that, sticking to the world of email interviews that don’t capture the entire situation.

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John Nichols, The Nation.

Nick Penniman, Huffington Post Investigative Fund.

Ana Marie Cox, Air America and MSNBC.

Mark Luckie, 10000Words.net.

—Fernanda Diaz