Journalism in flux
By Emmanuel Perilla
Since the start of journalism in modern societies, one of its original purposes was to give the public the objective truth.
The role of the journalist was to write about current events in a clear and concise manner and to serve their audience. Today, the journalism industry is in turmoil because of the infusion of journalism with sensationalism and business values.
In the article “Medium and the reason you can’t stand new anymore,” it states, “Programmatic reward scale(meaning the more people that see the ad, the more money you make). “Therefore the news outlet has to build up as many followers on all of its social platforms as possible. “This results in editorial practices that don’t prioritize nuance, accuracy or originality. “Instead whatever plays on social is king.
Clearly, modern journalism faces some obstacles. If advertising and social media fame is allowed to become the priority over honest and original reporting then journalism will simply become a caricature of its original purpose. Business value shouldn’t take a backseat to journalistic integrity.
If journalists begin focusing on who has the most followers and whose headline is trending the most, then the actual content of the story will be downplayed and any democratic society will suffer for that. The trust people have in a newspaper or a publication to relay information will be destroyed. Soon, readers won’t recognize the difference between an honest story and a newspaper just trying to make some profits.
This infusion of business values into journalism is putting the industry at a serious risk.
If journalism becomes a commodity that can easily be bought and bargained for then it will become a joke to the public. In the article “When Truth Becomes a Commodity” it states, “As long as we can click on the truths we want, as long as truth is imagined as a desire satisfied in a politically and commercially saturated market, we will have a superabundance of facts that people hold as true.
“Everyone will get what he wants, and the public and its trust in truth will fall apart. Being a journalist means to look for the objective truth and to relay it honestly to your audience. The industry is in flux today because every news piece that spreads and gets a following on social media is considered serious journalistic content.
It’s certainly true that journalists and news publications have to do a better job of making sure sensationalism is downplayed and actual facts and investigation becomes the norm. Still, the public has to be aware of the dominating presence of sensationalism in the industry today and they should search for serious and dedicated publications to read.
The job of the public and journalists in the industry today is to make a clear distinction between what's popular and whats an actual investigation of the facts. The position the industry finds itself in today can’t be remedied if people continue to ignore accuracy for an article that simply brings them excitement. The industry can be saved from ruin if people remain dedicated to honest and accurate reporting.
