The importance of independent news in the modern age
We live in a world that is growing hyper connected, in the online sense of the word connected. Social media and other forms of entertainment, as well as various opinionated bloggers, compete for our attention, and succeed in getting it from millions worldwide. There is an entire flood of information at the fingertips of most people in developed countries, and we are submerged in it to the point where many may no longer feel the need for independent news organizations. Yet much of what appears on the internet under the guise of information is not verifiable. It is often biased, oversimplified, or mere opinion. And there is reason to believe that many users isolate their worldviews into a bubble of confirmation bias, due to the way social media feeds are tailored to individual likes and preferences. These kinds of inconsistencies give rise to fragmented and sheltered views of the world, and the narrowing of perspective can lead to a breakdown in discourse between citizens. These are the kinds of problems that can be partly resolved by exposure to fact based reporting.
I intend to prove in this piece that independent news organizations play an essential role in the health of a democratic society. This is partly because of the ideal of objectivity that journalists are generally committed to, as well as the practical uses to which their information can be applied. Wide ranging reporting from independent sources can increase a persons awareness of the society they live in, remove them from self created bubbles and encourage them to consider the whole picture when voting. The output of these organizations can serve as a kind of watering hole for unbiased information in society. Without independent news organizations it is very likely that society would suffer.
Without independent news organizations people would need to rely on alternative sources for information about the world. Social media is one of the most commonly used sources for many people, and it has a formative influence upon the minds of many young people (millennials in particular). Research conducted by the social-influence platform Crowdtap showed that individuals ranging from 18-34 years old spend an average of 17.4 hours a day on content. 71% of millennials claimed to use social media daily, which involves mostly user generated content. According to the study, user generated content is 40% more likely to be trusted by millennials than the content provided by actual news sources.
Unfortunately these websites only seem to really encourage the validation of preconceptions. Confirmation bias can be defined as "a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis, and ignore or underweigh evidence that could disconfirm their hypothesis." Facebook and other sites use algorithms that tailor their feeds to the likes of whichever particular individual is using them, causing users to live in "filter bubbles" where they are not exposed to information that challenges their worldview. This causes the individuals conceptions to become isolated and limited.
It is clear that the internet is shaping the young minds of our society in a way that may be harmful to democracy. A community of ideologically isolated people are likely to have a difficult time reaching a rational or informed consensus on any issue. These media outfits may give people the illusion of holding infallible beliefs by refusing to provide them with countering opinions. This is an effect that could make real listening and engaged discussion difficult to attain. Understanding other views is essential to civil discourse. I believe that a change in reading habits from social media to independent news sources could remedy these problems and facilitate a sense of balance.
Fairness and objectivity are the two ingredients in independent news journalism that could facilitate this change. They are two forces that work together to balance perspective. Objectivity in journalism could be partly summed up in the phrase "keeping you own opinions out of the story". Objective reporting consists of reporting the facts by themselves, without the encumbrance of personal opinion. It is a style of delivery that doesn't tell the reader what to think, but lets them draw their own conclusions. Fairness in news is equally important, and it entails giving equal weight to both sides of any story. This has the opposite effect of the polarizing algorithims of social media and one-sided opinions thrown around on blogs. It is an antidote to confirmation bias. A hypothetical example could be of a community that is divided over a decision to ban a particular book. A fair reporter would allow the expression of both sides of the case.
This approach synthesises all of the core values of a functioning democracy. Readers are given untainted information in a systematic and objective format to do with what they will. Professor James Carey of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, defines the purpose of journalism as being to "facilitate debate, to constitute an adversary of entrenched power, to create a transparent society, to air the public’s business, to promote responsive institutions, the press included." Free speech, the right to protest, and hold opposing views in a tolerant society are essential democratic parts. Honest news organizations give a voice to important issues in a manner that respects those ethics. Ethics which could easily be disregarded and lost if left to the internet and blogosphere.
Dependable independent news sources are all the more important now that story fabrication has become somewhat common online, in which false partisan news stories are circulated online by anonymous users. This is a phenomenon has primarily occurred within social media networks. According to a study cited in the Globe and Mail, this may be partly due to the emphasis on sensationalism over substance within social media. A return to independent news sources is a solid counterpoint to this confusion, due to its accountability.
The range and depth of issues covered by news organizations allows for more informed voting decisions. The format of news organizations often focuses on local national and international stories, allowing for a broad scope. These vantage points can encourage folks to consider the far reaching effects of their political vote. They may be encouraged to look beyond themselves, in ways that are not encouraged through social media sites, since newspapers are not tailored to the personality of the individual.
That isn't to say all news organizations are perfect. There is an increasing prevalence of click-bait on mainstream news websites, and attention is often paid to issues of trivial importance. This may be attributed to financial difficulties within the industry, as well as a cultural shift in attention from serious news to pop media.
Nonetheless independent news organizations provide balancing perspectives and objective facts that can act as a grounding force in these days of surplus information. Good journalism has the potential to act as a corrective to the confirmation bias of social media, and can also provide an informative and protective service to modern democracies. For these reasons they should be supported.
I intend to prove in this piece that independent news organizations play an essential role in the health of a democratic society. This is partly because of the ideal of objectivity that journalists are generally committed to, as well as the practical uses to which their information can be applied. Wide ranging reporting from independent sources can increase a persons awareness of the society they live in, remove them from self created bubbles and encourage them to consider the whole picture when voting. The output of these organizations can serve as a kind of watering hole for unbiased information in society. Without independent news organizations it is very likely that society would suffer.
Without independent news organizations people would need to rely on alternative sources for information about the world. Social media is one of the most commonly used sources for many people, and it has a formative influence upon the minds of many young people (millennials in particular). Research conducted by the social-influence platform Crowdtap showed that individuals ranging from 18-34 years old spend an average of 17.4 hours a day on content. 71% of millennials claimed to use social media daily, which involves mostly user generated content. According to the study, user generated content is 40% more likely to be trusted by millennials than the content provided by actual news sources.
Unfortunately these websites only seem to really encourage the validation of preconceptions. Confirmation bias can be defined as "a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis, and ignore or underweigh evidence that could disconfirm their hypothesis." Facebook and other sites use algorithms that tailor their feeds to the likes of whichever particular individual is using them, causing users to live in "filter bubbles" where they are not exposed to information that challenges their worldview. This causes the individuals conceptions to become isolated and limited.
It is clear that the internet is shaping the young minds of our society in a way that may be harmful to democracy. A community of ideologically isolated people are likely to have a difficult time reaching a rational or informed consensus on any issue. These media outfits may give people the illusion of holding infallible beliefs by refusing to provide them with countering opinions. This is an effect that could make real listening and engaged discussion difficult to attain. Understanding other views is essential to civil discourse. I believe that a change in reading habits from social media to independent news sources could remedy these problems and facilitate a sense of balance.
Fairness and objectivity are the two ingredients in independent news journalism that could facilitate this change. They are two forces that work together to balance perspective. Objectivity in journalism could be partly summed up in the phrase "keeping you own opinions out of the story". Objective reporting consists of reporting the facts by themselves, without the encumbrance of personal opinion. It is a style of delivery that doesn't tell the reader what to think, but lets them draw their own conclusions. Fairness in news is equally important, and it entails giving equal weight to both sides of any story. This has the opposite effect of the polarizing algorithims of social media and one-sided opinions thrown around on blogs. It is an antidote to confirmation bias. A hypothetical example could be of a community that is divided over a decision to ban a particular book. A fair reporter would allow the expression of both sides of the case.
This approach synthesises all of the core values of a functioning democracy. Readers are given untainted information in a systematic and objective format to do with what they will. Professor James Carey of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, defines the purpose of journalism as being to "facilitate debate, to constitute an adversary of entrenched power, to create a transparent society, to air the public’s business, to promote responsive institutions, the press included." Free speech, the right to protest, and hold opposing views in a tolerant society are essential democratic parts. Honest news organizations give a voice to important issues in a manner that respects those ethics. Ethics which could easily be disregarded and lost if left to the internet and blogosphere.
Dependable independent news sources are all the more important now that story fabrication has become somewhat common online, in which false partisan news stories are circulated online by anonymous users. This is a phenomenon has primarily occurred within social media networks. According to a study cited in the Globe and Mail, this may be partly due to the emphasis on sensationalism over substance within social media. A return to independent news sources is a solid counterpoint to this confusion, due to its accountability.
The range and depth of issues covered by news organizations allows for more informed voting decisions. The format of news organizations often focuses on local national and international stories, allowing for a broad scope. These vantage points can encourage folks to consider the far reaching effects of their political vote. They may be encouraged to look beyond themselves, in ways that are not encouraged through social media sites, since newspapers are not tailored to the personality of the individual.
That isn't to say all news organizations are perfect. There is an increasing prevalence of click-bait on mainstream news websites, and attention is often paid to issues of trivial importance. This may be attributed to financial difficulties within the industry, as well as a cultural shift in attention from serious news to pop media.
Nonetheless independent news organizations provide balancing perspectives and objective facts that can act as a grounding force in these days of surplus information. Good journalism has the potential to act as a corrective to the confirmation bias of social media, and can also provide an informative and protective service to modern democracies. For these reasons they should be supported.
Sources
Campanella, E. (2017, February 4). We all live in a bubble. Here’s why you step out of it, according to experts. Global news. Retrieved from http://globalnews.ca/news/3225274/we-all-live-in-a-bubble-heres-why-you-step-out-of-it-according-to-experts/
Carey, J. (2000, June 15). Journalism and Democracy Are Names for the Same Thing. Nieman Reports. Retrieved from http://niemanreports.org/articles/journalism-and-democracy-are-names-for-the-same-thing/
Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2014, May 13). How the web distorts reality and impairs our judgment skills. The guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/may/13/internet-confirmation-bias
S. (2017, July 30). Confirmation bias. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/confirmation_bias.htm
Frampton, B. (2015, September 14). Clickbait:the changing face of online journalism. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-34213693
Greenspon, E., & Owen, T. (2017, May 28). ‘Fake news 2.0’: A threat to Canada’s democracy . The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/fake-news-20-a-threat-to-canadas-democracy/article35138104/
Rogers, T. (2017, May 14). Objectivity and Fairness in Journalism. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/objectivity-and-fairness-2073726
Taylor, K. (2014, March 10). Millennials Spend 18 Hours a Day Consuming Media -- And It's Mostly Content Created By Peers. Entrepreneur. doi:https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232062
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