Blog Post #8: Is social media burying journalism?
I was really intrigued by the article "When Twitter Does What Journalism Can't," written by Roxane Gay, well because for one, Roxane Gay came to speak at North Central about her books that she has written and I felt like I was reading something written by a friend. She is so real through her writing and she stands firmly in what she believes in. She has the ability to express herself in a tactful way that forces people to really stop and think about the topic she has brought to attention.
As someone who received their bachelor's degree in journalism, I appreciate writing like Roxane Gay's, which is why it is quite saddening to me to learn that social media is essentially burying the art of journalism. It is true that social media is more immediate and less fact based than news given by a reporter on a news broadcast or in a newspaper, but the world still needs the certainty that they are receiving accurate information about the events going on in the world. Social media can be updated by anyone out in this world, which brings me back to the idea of fake news that was discussed last week and how often it occurs on a daily basis.
With regret though, I will admit that I consume most of my daily information about current events from social media, like Facebook and Twitter. It's convenient because I have a busy work and school life. The world is able to learn what is happening at exactly the time it is happening with access to social media. Features on Facebook, like Facebook Live are just piling on the dirt over the journalism profession and burying it even deeper. Now-a-days people are all able getting their news quickly, which causes newspapers and news broadcasts to fade even more into the past.
While I agree with you, Hunter, I do think that journalism is changing because of social media. The good stuff is buried behind the billion tweets that go out daily, but in order to keep up, news publications are finding new ways to tailor their skills to the immediacy of social media. The problem comes in with - what you pointed out - fake news. Whether we'll ever get away from this, I'm not sure. There's so much freedom for people on the Web that it's up to us as educated citizens of this society to dig through the crap and digest the intellectual/factual information. This is kind of going all over the place, but basically what I'm getting at is that it sucks journalism is buried under the inconsistent, immediate posts on social media, but in order to keep up or at least get the facts out there, they have to play a part in it. The struggle with this comes from whether or not these journalists will continue reporting unbiased factual news or if they'll let it get out of hand and eventually become like the rest of the news out there posted by random individuals looking for the clicks/views. I don't know ... maybe I went to far?
ReplyDeleteHunter- I agree with you about rapid news dissemination. It's alarming for future generations because, as Stephanie said, who knows where journalism is headed. Yet, I find it difficult to assess the potential progress (or potential retrogression) by labeling journalism's future into two conceivable paths. I like to imagine journalism as we see politics- both evolve throughout decades according to public opinion and historical events. The horrible politicians hopefully get booted out, or at least the public exposes them for who they are at their core. You said it beautifully when you mentioned your concern that media is "burying the art of journalism." That is exactly, at least to me, what journalism is: art. The art created by professional (or a morally centered individual) of crafting the unbiased story. The art of writing a feature about an enlightening individual or event. The art of investigating and unfolding a terrifying political agenda that potentially can harm millions. Journalism is read, heard and watched, and art is looked at. Art evolves. So will journalism. I think the question we need to ask is how can we uphold the core values of ethics and stabilize our morals along the way. We need a strict code of conduct for the new wave of journalism via the internet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. Journalism is changing, but I am one where I hope to see it stay with its " old fashioned" ways. That's why I fell in love with journalism. It's just something I'll have to except though and realize things will go from paper to digital.
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