The struggle of journalism
By Somayya Safa
We live in world that’s constantly changing and re-inventing itself.
With each passing decade, we are met with new challenges that forces these changes and its impact on what was once traditionally the drive of a profession that had more of a purpose to reach out all audience in the beginning of its time instead of questioning it or dimming its light.
There’s no doubt that with the new advancements in technology and the role of the internet plays a major role in the shift of many media outlets and its traditions.
But we live in an era that’s forces such changes, in which it makes us question to re-evaluate and re-learn, how to adapt to these constant changes and to look into the depth of the reality we live in.
The reality of our society is reinventing our time, our careers and questioning the passions of many journalist professions and other traditional media outlets, who are struggling with their own purpose in life and their careers that gave them inspiration to pursue their dreams.
Now that our lives revolves around the internet and social media platforms, it holds the power to eliminate the norm of anything traditional.
Such changes has affected the way we receive news and lost its value in how news is shared.
Nowadays, anyone can report on anything because news is shared instantly online throughout all social media platforms.
Traditionally one would wait for a printed newspaper the next morning, but that tradition has been declining and has shifted to what today is called digital subscription. Newspapers are going digital, and instead of an audience waiting to read the news, we are constantly being updated with headlines that notifies us through our smartphones with just a click of a button or just by news application.
But the downside of social media and the internet is, How accurate is the news? And who is reporting it?
“According to a survey by Pew Research Center, most Americans suspect that made-up news is having an impact. About two-in-three U.S. adults (64%) say fabricated news stories cause a great deal of confusion about the basic facts of current issues and events. This sense is shared widely across incomes, education levels, partisan affiliations and most other demographic characteristics.”
Many journalist are struggling because, such transformations has changed the trust and value of a true journalist.
While the audience who is taking on the role of becoming the reporters who have nothing to deal with the profession, are the ones who are sharing the news. There’s no doubt that they have the potential to make news go viral throughout all social media platforms with one touch of a button without understanding if the news is accurate or fake.
From a journalist perspective there job is to tell the truth, and because of the lack of truth in reporting fake news all over media from non professional people, knowing the audience and how to get the their attention is key factor. Gaining knowledge from what attracts the audience interest and building content on all media platforms is necessary to gain public trust.
