The Modern Challenge of the Journalism Industry
One major event that distinguishes the journalism industry for our time will be the turn from traditional media outlets such as print newspapers to online platforms. The beginning of the end for print media have already started to appear. While traditional media companies report a decline in traditional print readership, the overall number of Australian’s accessing news has increased. Although, this has not been enough to stem the losses. Recently, both Fairfax media, publisher of the largest read newspaper in Australia; the Sydney Morning Herald and News Corporation, announced widespread cuts to their journalism and editorial team. If two of Australia’s leading media organisation backed by large scale funding and millionaires are having to make cuts to their journalism staff, imagine the smaller guys. While the digitalisation of news in itself is not a negative action; other factors of the current environment of society allow this shift to provide a few negative downfalls.
It seems that with a shift to the online reporting, the number of journalists have not only been cut from large companies but the expected number of online content; both for the actual articles and social media presence, has continued to expand exponentially. With the increased workload it makes it easier for the mistakes to be made and untruths be passed on.
Another potential troubling aspect to digital media can be the increasingly sensationalised reporting we are seeing today. Only last month, the shooters from the Christchurch attack live-streamed the harrowing events of that day and the carnage that followed. It would seem rational that news outlets should not use that footage; especially after strict warning from police not to share or spread the link. Despite this multiple media companies such as Ten Daily, Channel Nine and Sky News all shared experts or stills of the video, and while most decided to take them down after several hours, Sky News decided to continue to broadcast it. It is clear that for Sky News, the urge for sensationalised news and the added clicks they would gain from showing stills from the devastating stream were more important than not only common decency but also the New Zealand government.
The actions of Sky News highlight a clear example of what can happen when news organisations value revenue over actual journalism. While it has not yet happened in Australia, multiple smaller companies in the U.S who have been bought out by either larger Media Organisations or Multi-millionaires have proceeded to show troubling behaviour.
In 2007 Sam Zell took over the Tribune Company which owns new papers such as The Los Angeles Times, The Orlando Sentinel and the Chicago Tribune. During his takeover he shared his vision for the company and for the journalists, “My attitude on journalism is very simple. I want to make enough money so I can afford you … You need to help me by being a journalist that focuses on what our readers want and therefore, generates more revenue.” When questioned by a worker on if the public can determine what they want and what they need to be informed of, Zell replied, “Hopefully we get to the point where our revenue is so significant we can do puppies and Iraq” before tagging on a classy “Fuck you” to the reporter.
When the potential of online clicks and revenue is regarded more important than any actual journalistic reporting, it will be the general public who suffers.
The shining example of this can be seen during the events of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. Trump, by deciding to bypass the traditional forms of media outlets and turn most of his media attention to twitter, provided a new frontier for journalists. Suddenly there was a new reality in which untruth and lies had no punishable consequence. Suddenly we had entered into (and still remain) in a world where the rule of law is no longer the rule but an exception.
PolitiFact tells us that since his presidential campaign to date, of all the statements they have analysed, Trump has reportedly only made 4% ‘True’ statements. It seems that Trump embodies the Orwellian notion that if enough people believe it, it must be the truth. He affirms this himself after spreading numerous misinformation about voter fraud, all started from one person twitter account with no factual credibility by stating that if everyone is talking about it, it must be true, “the people aren’t stupid”. This highlighted that a campaign aimed at the politically uneducated mass can have their views distorted by misinformation, distortion of the truth and fake facts.
While it is hard for journalists to properly work in an environment where they are being bypassed by social media, they do need to step up to be the balance to political lies. During the campaign it was clear most news organisations would discuss Trump’s false tweets and lies without properly condemning them. Once again, CEO’s were focused on the revenue over the outright misinformation that was being spread. CBS CEO, Leslie Moonves, boasted that Donald Trump was making their network rich, stating that while “It may not be good for America, it’s damn good for CBS. The money’s rolling in.”
Although not all hope should be lost. Since 2014 the number of fact-checking organisations has nearly tripled and a determination from journalists to call out lies and false information while the internet allows us to gain access to factual and well-reported journalistic material. It seems that while there always has been, and always will, be political lies there will be journalists trying to discredit them.
While Australia will hopefully never have to face such an immense mass of lies and misinformation on the scale America is currently facing, it does providing us with cautionary warning. Journalists should always be in an environment in which their academic and journalistic integrity is valued far above the number of potential clicks they may generate. We, as readers, must also be vigilant in analysing the content we are consuming to determine if it a reliable source of information. Truthful reporting of information must be seen as a necessity in our democratic society as lies are the termites in the house of democracy.
