The Media Isn’t What It Used To Be

And there’s lots of blame to go around

“The media” used to be a valued source of information. Saying “I saw it on the news” often meant you watched the local evening newscast or cable news.

“The media” used to refer to legacy outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR and the four big TV networks (NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox).

But now “the media” could be anyone. Anyone can write a blog. Anyone can post on Twitter or Facebook. Anyone can share a fact they heard, alternative or not. The blurring and near elimination of the classic definition of “the media” is the end of truth and facts.

I know that sounds extreme, but look at what happens on social media.

Take “Sarah”. She saw a status post from her friend on Facebook, and it was essentially the social media equivalent of the email forwards of the ’90s. The post told the story of a “Today” show interview with the wife of a fallen U.S. Navy SEAL. It claimed the live interview was selectively edited for later programs to remove her reference to Christ. It encouraged everyone to repost it as their own status.

That story is from 2011, and it’s been debunked for years. But Sarah took her friend’s post as truth. So she shared it. And not surprisingly, some of Sarah’s friends commented, saying it’s “very sad” the media edits out references to Christianity. But Sarah wasn’t sharing the truth, so she only contributed to the growing, dangerous fake news cycle.

That is just one example, and that is very sad. That is how fake news really spreads.

In the age of constant information, the duty to find corroborating information falls on the consumer

We live in a world of headline readers. And I’ll admit, I’m guilty of it at times, too. But as a journalism graduate and member of the media, I know enough to admit when I’m sharing information based purely on a headline.

People share, blog or tweet about something they heard — something they feel to be true. But what if it’s not? Their friends don’t know, so then you have a friend of person A telling another friend who tells another friend.

It’s like a game of telephone. By the time you get to the end of the line, the facts are often not what they were when the news was first shared — especially if the game started with a headline and not the full story.

In the age of constant information, the duty to find corroborating information falls on the consumer. No longer does news need to wait for the 5 p.m. newscast.

Just because news can be instant, doesn’t mean it should be. Everyone — legacy news outlets, partisan websites, bloggers, tweeters — wants to be first. But first doesn’t mean correct.

And this desire for immediacy goes well beyond politics. This applies to any and every breaking news scenario. Breaking news situations are fluid. You’ll often hear “sources say” or “reportedly” — key phrases that indicate whatever you just heard isn’t confirmed yet. And it probably wouldn’t take long to remember a time when the “first reports” were later corrected or updated. Hell, I’ve written some of those corrections.

In the rush to be first, accuracy falls to the wayside. Facts are the heart of news media. Facts are what makes news … news. And without the facts, a news report becomes just like a rumor you heard from the neighbor down the street.

The need for immediate information has superseded the need for factual information.