It is considered common knowledge by society that the news media suck. People can cite all sorts of reasons why they hate engaging with the mainstream media: Biased reporting, over-hyped coverage, distorted viewpoints, inviting on divisive guests just for the ratings, both-sidesism… The list goes on.
Trust in media is at an all-time low, which is a shame given many journalists work very hard, sometimes in difficult environments risking their lives to report on the truth. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t frustrating journalism like clickbait lying around the media landscape done by poor journalists who might be acting as a political agent or working under special interests from the business or political world. Even in the more reputable brands, their coverage on certain issues like the Israel-Hamas war has been selective, to put it mildly.
As a result, many are turning to online media, independent journalism, and social media feeds to get their news. In principle, that is a good thing. Online media brands like Vox, Semafor, and Axios have established themselves as reputable brands in the digital age; Plus, they can better engage with audiences than the New York Times or BBC News. Independent journalism on sites like The Bulwark and ProPublica has provided great investigative reporting and special viewpoints on the top stories around the world. Despite all their flaws, social media feeds are a good way to get first-hand news from people on the ground. They can be considered sources who have eyewitnessed a key event, not to mention many journalists use social media to communicate and find sources.
However, that leads to a distinct problem. Because we live in a time where everything is customized, all that media filtering leads to information bubbles where knowledge and facts can be selective and opinionated instead of by the book and straightforward. Seeking the truth is never easy, but the current media landscape makes it more difficult.
Many media critics, both in the journalistic world and armchair pundits, will blame media outlets for the current situation. They make some good points on how news organizations can be controlled by various actors, from newsroom culture to shareholders, and even the biases of their owners whether they are individual billionaires or entire governments.
There is another key player that affects journalism that gets mentioned far less than it deserves: The readers are the problem, not the outlets.
In the end, news outlets and journalistic institutions have to cater to their audience. Back in the past, viewership was established by sales, how many people tune in, and money made from advertising. Now, the determinants have to do with clicks, likes, and views more than sales of print magazine or newspaper copies.
Now, some legacy brands have become hollow shells of themselves as they have struggled to cope with the modern change. Time Magazine has become a prominent example where in the past few years, there has been excellent reporting featured in the magazine. In recent years, the magazine’s content has felt more like a copycat of Newsweek given recent magazine covers featuring the 100 Most Influential Companies or Next Generation Leaders, chasing the clout given Time is an established and well-known brand.
When the media industry is pointing fingers and blaming each other for the unpopularity of their reputations and the decline in trust, do keep in mind they are chasing profit and not facts. If people collectively tune in and engage with investigative reporting, deep dives into political issues through a nuanced perspective, or more on international stories, do you think media executives will ignore it? Of course not! But now, we live in a society that likes to dumb down everything, speed-run everything, and read gossip rather than actual journalism.
For the smarter-minded viewers and readers, as much as I join in the rants and complaints on the mainstream media, it should be noted that you have control as well. Protesting media brands that you think don’t fit your journalistic values by unsubscribing or hate-ranting on social media can work, but up to a limit.
Expand your news diet by reading more than one news source, and understand their pros and cons in reporting and coverage. Independent and online media can be great sources, but make sure your media literacy skills can come in handy once you find suspicious reporting. If you have the financial ability, you should pay the news brands that you like as a show of appreciation and support for their work, especially since the industry is in dire times right now.
In the end, the way to make journalism more trustworthy and important should be up to everyone, including the people who receive the news. Yes, that does mean people have to overcome sensationalism and partisan biases which can be devilishly appealing to the industry, but the results people make on how news is conducted matters in a fact-free world.