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The media is undergoing a revolution in which people will no longer look to newspapers for news, according to Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow.

Delivering the third Bob Friend Memorial Lecture at the University of Kent on Friday night, Snow said events in the Middle East demonstrate the benefits of social media websites but also that newspapers are becoming dated very quickly. Leaders in Tunisia and Egypt have been forced from power after mass protests driven by services like Twitter and Facebook.

Snow said: "I don't think people will look to newspapers for news. I don't think people are patient enough to read news in that way."

Before his lecture, titled ‘From film to Twitter – the media revolution: is the golden age of journalism come or gone?’, Snow presented this year’s winner of the Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship, Tania Steere, with her award.

The BBC should be given credit for being decisive about its goals and future direction, says Director General Mark Thompson.

Thompson, who delivered the second Bob Friend Memorial Lecture at the University of Kent last night, defended the corporation's decision to axe 6 Music and the BBC Asian Network.

The BBC can improve its journalism in a number of areas, Director General Mark Thompson said at the second Bob Friend Memorial Lecture last night.

Last week I completed my month-long placement at Sky News as part of the Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship. Over the four weeks I kept a diary of what I got up to, and you can read my account of the experience below.