A Journey Through the Journalism Dilemma

A Journey Through the Journalism Dilemma

Image Credits: Pixabay/Skitterphoto

News is in jeopardy, affecting both journalist, readers and public opinion.

This week Pope Francis deemed fake news an egregious sin. At present we are in an era where nations under nuclear threats have become a normality. Now is a crucial time for all to push for accurate and reliable news. I spoke with Matthew Fraser to discuss the the seemingly grim future of journalism. Fraser is a seasoned journalist, professor of media studies at the American University of Paris and an author.

“In the short term, journalism will face a great deal of turbulence as new technologies and consumer habits destroy old business models for news. This is a period of painful creative destruction. Old models are being swept away” said Fraser. Creative destruction is a process in which old methods become defunct by new innovations. Such as CD’s being replaced by music streaming and Netflix singlehandedly ending video rentals. News is undergoing a similar change due to the rise of social media networking sites like Facebook.

Our heightened connection with social media has changed the way we consume. We now have an insatiable appetite for speed, accuracy and accessing news stories for free. “Today, consumers of news don't have to pay for it. That has destroyed old business models. As of August 2017, 67% of Americans get their news from social media.

Image Credits: Pew Research Center

News organizations need to find a way to make consumers pay for news” said Fraser. News outlets grow through subscriptions but since consumers are accessing their content for free said outlets are at the whim of Facebooks algorithm. “About 30 percent of adults in the United States get their news on Facebook” according to a study from the Pew Research Center and this number continues to grow.

Receiving news from Facebook and other like social media sites is easy and cost effective but has been proven to be problematic when it comes to accuracy or bias.

The accuracy of news on social media is not a guarantee, thus creating “fake news”. With the rise of the Trump administration the term “fake news” has spread far and wide. But do consumers truly understand it’s existence and effects?

Naturally news outlets have their leanings but both Trump’s finger pointing and “fake news” reports are heightening the distrust in news media. “There

will always be mistrust of the media, there has always been. Each newspaper, TV channel or other is indirectly controlled by one or more shareholders. So inevitably there is always an influence.” Said Fabien Briet, a part time freelance journalist.

“Fake news” stories can easily be fact checked if users go the extra mile but many are unaware and become susceptible to coercion. “The bigger issue is that some of these tools are used to divide people, to manipulate people, to get fake news to people in broad numbers and to influence their thinking” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Another issue with such news is their motives differ greatly from that of credible news sources. This goes against the journalistic mission of providing unbiased and valid information and give consumers the tools to make informed decisions and opinions. The motives of such news sources are monetary. Fake news stories are fueled by the need for clicks and views by any means possible. Sensationalized and inaccurate headlines garnish more attention and by the time they are removed due to inaccuracy they are believed as true.

Consumer’s attention span have drastically changed to accommodate social media