Since the way in which
the vast population receives as well as views the news has rapidly changed in such
a short amount of time the question that immediately arises is the traditional more
credible than modern day standards?
With the increasing
popularity of the general public receiving and viewing the news on social media
platforms, it’s hard not question how long traditional news sources will be
around for. Especially when “Some 31% of
adults owned a tablet computer as of 2013, almost four times the share recorded
in May 2011. Pew Research also found that web-enabled smartphones are even more
widespread: As of December 2012, about 45% of adults owned a smartphone, up from
35% in May 2011. Accessing news is one of the most popular uses for the device
enabling Americans to get news whenever they want and wherever they might be.”(The State of the News Media 2013)
When
comparing tradition to modern day standard most critics agree that “In
the ever-expanding and fast-paced new media world, issues appear to be more
about context and less about content. The posts often appear short sighted, and
lack substance but they reach a wide audience nevertheless. According to Internet Usage World Stats there are approximately
2.3 billion Internet users, with the majority between the ages of 12 and 30.
Most civil society organizations across the globe, with their middle-aged
directors, are embracing the new media. Or better yet, they are trying” (Nahzi
2012).
Though the change seemed to occur overnight, there has been much criticism
about where the general public should place their trust when it comes down to
sources as well as a high skepticism of who is more credible. “A common criticism is that Web-based
information often does not reach sufficient levels of factual substantiation or
analysis, and there is little pressure to present truthful and unbiased information.
The presence of biased and misleading information has called the credibility of
these hybrid news sources into question. Contrary to those concerns, some
studies addressing the credibility of online information showed that people
tended to have positive attitudes toward the credibility of these sources”(
Chung, Nam & Stefanone 2012).
Though news content found online is produced and published quicker as well
as is easily accessible for the user, does convenience compromise credibility? The
traditional way for publication was through a detailed process of edit, reviews
and multiple fact checks before publication but the downfall was that that the
time-line in which the content was produced was considerably slower than modern
day standards . On the other hand, modern day publication gives the impression
that anyone who can type can produce what they personally consider news and
publish it on any website for others to view. Though both sources the interpretation of what
is fact or fiction up to personal judgment, the bombardment of having to shift
through stories was much less when the availability of checking facts as well
as sources was ultimately limited by
location and personal association.
The biggest argument that emerges when questioning was it better before
when we as users could not as easily check facts as easily as we can now is
that “Traditional
news sources are laudable for their credibility and the rigorous fact-checking
and editing processes that goes into articles. Internet content, on the other
hand, is nowhere near as scrupulous commitment in its accuracy. This
discrepancy is because there is not as much accountability from the authors who
almost always have little accountability for their words. In traditional news
institutions, writers, editors and companies have both their reputations and the
threat of libel suits to incentivize them to publish the truth. In comparison,
on the Internet, one can publish anonymously”
(Chang&Wang 2011).
With all this criticism of who is
more accurate and credible, its seems as though the general public has become
critical of both types of publication because at the end of the day both have
had detrimental mistakes in credibility which in turn has pushed them to lean towards personal connections such as
friends and family to update them.
Works Cited:
Chang, Allison, and
Nelson Wang. "Newspapers
Transitioning from Print to Online Focus; New Media Lack Credibility of Old."
Saratoga Falcon. N.p., 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
Chung, C. J., Nam,
Y. and Stefanone, M. A. (2012), Exploring
Online News Credibility: The Relative Influence of Traditional and Technological
Factors. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17: 171–186.
doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2011.01565.Web.08 Feb.2014.
Nahzi, Fron. "Get Online." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com,
08 June 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
“The State of the News Media 2013 –
Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in
Journalism. April 2013. Web. 08
Feb.2014.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you here in regards to how the Internet is changing how Americans are consuming their news. According to “The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings," newspaper circulation sharply decreased in 2009, but did rise again in 2012. What is interesting about that is most newspapers; including both national and local, have websites these days. Even our own campus newspaper has a website which they update throughout the week prior to the paper version being distributed each Wednesday.
It is also interesting how the same article points out that even cable news viewership isn’t growing at a more rapid rate. I feel like most people want to watch the news in “real time;” it seems a bit strange to DVR a news program unless there is a certain story you’re interested in re-watching, or unless someone you know is going to be present on the show. Though it is also interesting to note that people will spend more time watching cable news over local news and network news combined. (How Americans) The same article also states how most news viewers are very engaged, which leads to the engagement of getting news online and how the internet can boast articles featuring videos, polls, links, and other interactive content.
According to the Pew Research Center study, a lot of online users are getting their information on websites such as reddit, twitter, and Facebook. I’m not very familiar with reddit, but Facebook and twitter both are popular platforms for news as you can follow your news sources directly. (News Use) This way you’re able to see news updates as they happen in a convenient place rather than either waiting for a newspaper each morning, or watching the news on TV around the schedule it airs. It should also be noted that on these social media sites, including Facebook, many people don’t seek news on these outlets; they merely see it while using the platforms for other purposes. (Role of News on Facebook)
Though there can be a problem with this as you touched upon, as each outlet seems to update constantly and each source wants to be the first to report information, is that it can cause misinformation to be spread. Despite that I don’t have a direct source for this, last year during the Sandy Hook shooting, I remember that news sources were falsely reporting that the shooter was a former Quinnipiac student; despite that it was actually his brother carrying his ID. I remember my Facebook had a multitude of posts on the subject, some defending the boy, and others ‘in disbelief that a Quinnipiac student could do such a thing.’ I also remember some students saying they wanted to wait until an official report was out before commenting. It turns out, those students were more savvy regarding how incorrect information, “news,” can spread on social media which can prove to be a problem.
Even though there are obviously pros to getting news in a more real-time setting, though it can cause a big problem in spreading false information.
Works Cited
“How Americans Get TV News at Home." Pew Reseach Center. 11 Oct. 2013. Web.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web.
Despite what the facts seem to say, I’m still not convinced that the news people get from social media is 100% accurate, or even 100% news. Although there are credible news sources available through social media, I personally find it hard to believe that that is where all of the news found on these sites comes from. According to the Pew Research Center, 30% of the population “Ever” gets their news on Facebook (Pew 1). From experience, I do know that there is a feed of real trending news on the sidebar of the website. However, when you click it, not all of the posts are completely fact. Some are opinions from popular Facebook pages that include the same keywords. These posts may include a lot of opinion. To get the full story, you need to click on a link to a news article on a different site.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, checking news on social media is a lot more convenient than reading a newspaper or turning on a TV and waiting for a specific story to come on. However, it is also just as easy and convenient to post ‘news.’ One of the best parts about social media is that it gives an everyday person a voice and a platform to express their opinion. However, it’s very easy for someone to express their opinions in a way that sounds like fact. Someone scrolling through the Twitter trends on a news topic, might be getting a lot of opinion from users. Opinion is not the same as fact, and presents a biased opinion. Also, it’s very easy for someone to post whatever they want and not fact check it. One example of this is with social media star (if there is such a thing?) Acacia Brinley. She is a musician and actress, but is best known for a popular YouTube channel and Twitter account. A zoo posted a Tweet about their gorilla, Acacia being pregnant, and the fan base, and antifans, or ‘haters’, of Acacia saw the Tweet without reading the attached article and soon trended that Acacia Brinley, who was 14 at the time, was pregnant. It’s so easy for someone to read a Tweet or a status update and not check the linked article or look for confirmation of this news.
According to Pew, “When it comes to news people hear from friends and family, social media are playing a growing role, especially among young people…” (Pew 1). In my opinion, I would not consider anything posted by a friend or family member as ‘news’ unless it is a link directly to a valid news source. However, on social media sites, anyone can create a post about the President, for example. The President would be news, because he is a public figure, but what your family member posts about him may not be fact, it may be an opinion. People get facts mixed up, or hear facts from someone else who may have gotten them mixed up.
To conclude, when a traditional news source prints something, they have to get the facts checked before it is published. If they publish something incorrect, they have to retract it publicly. Someone who makes a post on social media does not go through a checking process, which, in my opinion, makes social media news less reliable.
Works Cited
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
Ashley brings up a really important question in her blog about the credibility of news today. Everyone knows that news companies all want to be the first to report anything happening, and with that often comes mistakes. Newspapers, magazines, and even television broadcasts all take time to make their stories, and have people reviewing them to make sure that all of the information reported is accurate. Today, millions of people get their news online, which can ultimately be anonymous. You can also really put anything on the Internet that you want, without getting in trouble for it.
ReplyDeleteAs the way people get their news continues to change, this issue might become worse. My own family has stopped receiving newspapers ever since my parents both got iPads and are beginning to get all of their news online. As we can see in the Key Findings of “The State of News Media”, the Digital audience grew about 7.2%, the reason being most likely the fact that many more people are using tablets and smartphones to receive their news.
It was really interesting to read about critics talking about how articles and issues of newspapers and magazines are becoming more about context and less about content. I have not really thought that much about the fact that I almost always hear news first from the social media sites and apps that I use, and I never really think twice about whether the posts were approved or not. If I see a story or something happening on Twitter that I am interested in hearing more about or am concerned about, I then will go to Google to find more information. I think the appeal of getting our news digitally is that we can block out all of the news stories that we don’t want to see or hear. We don’t have to sit through an entire news broadcast or search through a tangible newspaper to get to the stories we actually care about.
This makes the news reports have to severely cut down on content as well. If they don’t have as many viewers because they were lost to digital news, they don’t have as much money to fund their broadcasts. “A new survey…reveals that the public is noticing an impact on the content- and is beginning to abandon certain news outlets. Nearly a third of U.S. adults have deserted a news outlet because it no longer provides the news and information they had grown accustomed to receiving” (The State of News Media 2013).
It all seems to be a cycle leading back to digital media and people getting all of their information online, which as we have read, might not always be the most credible and accurate way. Especially if they are getting news off of completely public forums. “Nearly one-in-ten U.S. adults (8%) get news through Twitter, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center, in collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation” (Pew Research Center, 2013). People can post whatever they want on Twitter, and are not exactly credible sources. We have to be careful with how we get our news because just reading a tweet from someone you barely know might not be the most accurate or best way to find out what is going on in the world. Credibility is very important and I hope the digital world can keep up with the changes that are occurring to the way people are reading news.
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
I really found your blog post very interesting, credible, and actuate all at the same time! To start I want to personally talk about the way I receive my news. I am the person that when there is breaking news, if I have the time I will sit down on the couch and watch for hours on the television set rather then pulling down on my Twitter feed or Facebook feed over and over. I am not a big social media person and trend to try my hardest to stay away from that. Granted in the article you had mentioned the internet usage world stats article states that just over 2 million people are internet users and that is mostly the millennial’s that stay connected to it or maybe at the same time going onto social media and looking for the fastest timely updates that social media offers us. (Social Media Platforms 2013) I could say that this is cross platforms and that is very relevant in another article we had read for this week. The previous stat is just outrageous to me and to follow that up along with how many adults use smart phones now. WOW. My mother is one of those adults and I would of never guess that I would see that day come just because my family is very tech savvy and it is a whole different generation.
ReplyDeleteI am also someone that will ignore all the things I hear for a few days and wait till the newspaper comes out. As stated in on how millennial’s still want their newspaper, I am one in that 56% that truly do want the newspaper to read for news articles. I truly find the newspaper way more trust worthy just because when it is Sunday or whenever you do get around to reading the newspaper all the facts are usually straightened and clear by then. Also, in the same article, 72% of people rather be their own source of information rather then relying on others. (NAA 2013) This is myself as well, unless like you have said you sometimes could be pushed to lean towards personal connections such as friends and family for updates rather then to the “modern way” and not be certain with how credible and reliable it really is.
Another one of your points that stuck out to me the most is how in modern news institutions, writers, editors and companies, all race to be the first to publish the most current breaking news. It is one of their main goals and I say this because haven taking two journalism classes here at Quinnipiac and the first thing I was taught is to be TIMELY but to remain accurate and not biased… You cannot do all of those correctly if you’re rushing to get the facts out first hand and to a broad or national audience. This is when it fails for credibility.
For example, I remember when CNN was covering Sandy Hook school shooting they made a HUGE mistake all because they were rushing to be one of the first to release who was the shooter and they just took the first name or the persons wallet that police told them who’s name was on the license found inside. Granted it was a very sticky situation and the shooter took the older brothers license. They announced the wrong persons identity that committed such a terrible and scary crime. CNN for sure had a lawsuit coming their way after this false and inaccurate information broadcasted over national news. Not to mention, the first person that was said to be the shooter went to Quinnipiac… small world, but turns out to be his younger brother.
ReplyDeleteI want to touch on how CNN was know to be one of the largest news source but according to the article by Brent Lang, I find what he has said is very true and backs it up very well. CNN is no longer to most credible and he has stated, “Despite the decline in interviews, MSNBC has done the most to ratchet up partisanship. Its authors say the left-leaning channel devoted 85 percent of airtime to opinion and commentary and 15 percent to factual reporting.” (Brent Lang, The Wrap 2013) Also, that at Fox News, “the breakdown was 55 percent commentary and opinion to 45 percent factual reporting, while CNN was the only network to put more reporting than commentary on the air.” (Brent Lang, The Wrap 2013)
Also, in the article, by Pew research, they also mention a stat about CNN. It says, “CNN struggled the most, losing 4% of its prime-time audience, with median viewership levels little more than half of what they were four years earlier. Fox News Channel was flat in prime time at 1.9 million viewers. MSNBC, now consistently the No. 2 news channel, took in 818,000 viewers in a typical evening, up 6%. It also surpassed CNN for the first time in two key ratings—daytime viewership and total day viewership.” (Pew Research Key Findings 2013)This is all because of the factual reporting that usually is not traditional and is modern with a lack of credibility. I truly feel strongly about traditional news information rather then modern and this startles a lot of my friends, family and teammates just because I fall into the millennial age group and they are always just associating us as the same with all modern, and negative trends we carry.
Lang, Brent. “CNN Becoming Like Fox News, MSNBC.” The Wrap. 18 March 2013. Web.
ReplyDelete"Millennials Still Want Their Newspapers [Infographic]." NAA.com. Newspaper Association of America, 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web. 08 Feb.2014.
(http://stateofthemedia.org/2013/overview-5/key-findings/)
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThe main question that Ashley starts with is something that I am not quite sure the answer to. After the news has changed in how it is received, has the credibility dropped from the more traditional standards? Social media is this generation’s form of communication. We learn important news, entertaining news, and interact with on another. The more popular that this becomes the less traditional news outlets become. I cannot tell you the last time I used a newspaper, besides using it as a craft. “According to Pew Research data, 39% of respondents get news online or from a mobile device… Some 31% of adults owned a tablet computer as of 2013, almost four times the share recorded in May 2011. Pew Research also found that web-enabled smartphones are even more widespread” (The State of the News Media 2013). Times are changing and not only for the younger generation. Adults are jumping on the bandwagon as well. These new media forms can be extremely positive for obtaining the news. “Accessing news is one of the most popular uses for the devices, enabling Americans to get news whenever they want and wherever they might be (The State of the News Media).
Although the positives are clear, “there are more signs than ever that the reduced reporting power in the news industry is having an effect and may weaken both the industry’s capacity to produce in-depth journalism and its credibility with the public at the same time that others are gaining more voice” (The State of the News Media). One of the things that we learn in media studies is that anyone can become a journalist. I can go on the Internet right now and post a story and it will rapidly make it across Facebook and people will believe it. Although we get our news fast and everywhere, there is truth in the idea that this new way may be less credible.
News is common now on Facebook. A respondent from the Pew Research center summed it up by saying that “Facebook is a good way to find out news without actually looking for it” (The Role of News on Facebook). When I think about how I learn the news it may be sad to say but it is usually though my Facebook news feed. “The survey provides evidence that Facebook exposes some people to news who otherwise might not get it. ‘If it wasn’t for Facebook news’, wrote one respondent, ‘I’d probably never really know what’s going on in the world because I don’t have time to keep up with the news on a bunch of different locations’”(The Role of News on Facebook). There are some people who do not watch the news on the television or look at the paper so they go on the social media they enjoy and in passing see what is going on. This does not mean that the news posted on Facebook is reliable, which brings me back to Ashley’s first question. Is this modern day news outlet better because it is faster or is the traditional way better because it is highly investigated?
ReplyDeleteAshley had a great point when she explained how “traditional news was made through a detailed process of edit, reviews and multiple fact checks before publication but the downfall was the time-line in which the content was produced was considerably slower than modern day standards” (Ashley Dugan). This supports my answer that the dilemma cannot be answered. Yes traditional news may be always correct which makes modern publication sound untruthful and unprofessional. The reason why we cannot go back to tradition news is because of the quick mentality that our generation has adapted to. We have seen our news now and wherever we go and we will never let go of this no matter how truthful the stories we read are. Many people like the fact that anyone can be a journalist in the comfort of his or her own home. So my take on this whole topic is it is all about personal preference. If you want to make sure your news is always correct stick with traditional news outlets. If you prefer to find your news on your social media website go for it.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web.
I really liked the points you made in this blog post. I definitely believe that there is a discrepancy between the credibility of traditional news media and modern news media. One of the points you raised was questioning whether or not convenience compromises credibility. I definitely believe that it does and based off of some of the class readings, I inferred that other people felt the same. In “The Role of News on Facebook” the survey looked at news and how people on Facebook, which is considered to be the largest platform for social media (Mitchell 1), receive their news. The study showed that only 4% of the people surveyed listed Facebook as their most important way that they news. I think that this directly correlates to a later point in the study that says the overwhelming majority of the news that people see on Facebook is entertainment news. I think there is relationship between the two statistics. If 73% of the news seen of Facebook is of the entertainment variety, then people need to go elsewhere for more “actual” news. I’m inferring that the 96% of people who do not use Facebook as their most important way to get news, are looking elsewhere at more reliable news source rather than just their social media.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that there is a little difference in credibility regarding Twitter news versus other social media platforms. According to the study examined in “Twitter News Consumers,” nearly one in ten adults gets their news from twitter (Mitchell 1). This percentage is slightly higher than that of Facebook. I think the reason may be that there are traditional news stations that have twitter accounts including CNN, MSNBC, and Fox. However, one of the problems I see with the credibility of Twitter news is that the study states that stories are given in pieces as the story develops. This leads to the point you made about convenience versus credibility. We are able to get these pieces of a story as soon as they break through, but this often leads to unchecked facts. Last December when the Newtown shooting occurred, multiple news sources identified the shooter as Ryan Lanza, a former Quinnipiac student. The news circulated quickly as it was blasted all over news sources and social media. This was a time that convenience compromised credibility. The shooter was later identified as his younger brother, Adam Lanza, who happened to have Ryan’s identification card on him at the time of the shooting. I believe traditional news, in this situation, would have been more credible. As you stated traditional sources go through a more detailed and edited review of fact checks before reporting anything.
Before Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms, I believe that there was more credibility in traditional news. In my Journalism 160 class here, we talked about Walter Cronkite and the way he handled reporting the death of President John F. Kennedy. He knew the President had been shot multiple times and bullets struck his head; however, he would not report that President Kennedy had died until a confirmed source from inside the President’s hospital room. I think that if that shooting happened today, social media would have exploded with claims of the death of the president before an official statement would be released. Granted traditional news media takes longer to get to the public, which is a drawback, I do not think we should ever compromise news credibility for convenience ever.
-Victoria Cribbs
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
"Twitter News Consumers." Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be very informative and definitely credible. in todays world, the way we receive are new can be done through many different ways. Phones, tablets, television, the internet and even the old fashion newspaper. Personally, I tend to get the majority of my news from the television. I like to use that form because I tend to like the way it is given. I like being told the news instead of perhaps reading it off of a tablet. When someone else, like a news anchor, is telling me the news, it gives me a sense of how severe or important the news is that he or she is saying. At the same time, I believe that social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are reliable sources for news. The stat of "some 31% of adults owned a tablet computer as of 2013, almost four times the share recorded in May 2011. Pew Research also found that web-enabled smartphones are even more widespread: As of December 2012, about 45% of adults owned a smartphone, up from 35% in May 2011" (State of the Media 2013) was pretty eye-opening but at the same time, not surprising and I believe that those numbers are going to keep rising. Because there are over 500 million people on Facebook and over 645 million users on Twitter, when something news related and important reaches the public, it moves across social media extremely quick. A user from Pew Research stated, “Facebook is a good way to find out news without actually looking for it” (The Role of News on Facebook). This brings me to my next way of getting news is by apps. I have several apps on my phone especially that are related to news. The Wall Street Journal and CNN are the two I use the most. This allows me to get up to date information and when something serious may occur in our society, I get instant alerts and updates right to my pocket. I believe this goes to show how influential new media is on how we get our news today. The fact that we can get updates and alerts right to out phones and tablets can keep us up to date with real live news that maybe prior to the mid 90's, we may not have gotten.
At the same time, I do not want to knock newspapers. I would like to consider myself to be a regular when it comes to newspapers and I think I get that from my father who is a political in Albany and has always told me that the most credible way to get your news and information is through the newspaper. This might be his just being and old timer and never wanting to catch up with the world but at the same time, I think he is right. Some of the best newspapers come out with their best stuff at the end of the week. This gives them time to get all of their facts right and be able to go through all of their information with a fine-tooth comb. On that note thought, I believe newspapers are very politically driven. I know it depends on the newspaper but if you want to get more information about the world or even other parts of the nation, I think it is best to get your news from the internet. With that being said, depending on what information you are trying to receive, depends on what form you choose to get it from. I believe if you are looking for political news, you go to the local paper. World-wide news, you go to the internet. For up to date and sometimes severe news, I believe social media and phones are the best.
Works Cited
ReplyDelete“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web.
The first thing I thought of when reading Ashley’s blog was the coverage of the “shooter” at Central Connecticut State University. A student in a costume was walking around the campus and was mistaken as a gunman. The campus rightfully locked down the campus and local news was quickly on the scene. During the coverage, News Channel 8 was covering people’s Twitter feed with the hashtag #CCSU. It was a way for students to let their loved ones know that they are okay but I felt as if it was an unprofessional way to report the news. I thought back to Professor Venit’s JRN 160 class and remembered how adamant he was about making sure whatever you reporting was truth. This news station was actually reporting a Twitter handle and it turned into a goose chase. Users were claiming they saw someone with a gun out their window, and saying what they could see. Thankfully it was all a huge mistake and nobody was hurt but had it been different we could have had a serious mess within how we get our news.
ReplyDeleteAshley brought up excellent points about how fast we receive our news with the technology that we have. “Smartphones users said that nearly 62% of them consume news weekly and 36% daily” (The State of the News Media 2013). With that many people getting their news from social media there should be a way to distinguish “real news” versus the hearsay that many internet writers post. With “52% of Twitter users looking to get the latest news” on the site, these users should have a simple way to know if their reporting could be valid (News Use across Social Media Platforms). One easy way to distinguish false news from the stuff you can trust would be an easy way to see the writer’s credentials (school, major, and degree) as well as the organization they are writing for. Many people tend to take things they see on social media seriously such as the “deaths” of celebrities and rumors. It is almost like the tabloids in print media. You see some bizarre stories that you just cannot literally. It is used as entertainment and could also be the personal thoughts of the individual or their opinion, not actual news. These days everybody has technology readily available to see what is happening with their friends, in sports, and around the world. With this in mind it is crucial that this generation understands what is true and what can be potentially not true.
Chelsea pointed out that “there are more signs than ever that the reduced reporting power in the news industry is having an effect and may weaken both the industry’s capacity to produce in-depth journalism and its credibility with the public at the same time that others are gaining more voice” (The State of the News Media). As social media is used more often for news the more important it will be to prove your “reporting” is valid. After all, social media is still in its early stages. As it gains in popularity, so will be the amount of news that is gathered from these websites. We must make sure that we keep in mind that reporting false news is damaging not only to the subject of the report but to journalism as well. Journalists must evolve as social media evolves and eventually will know how to share information responsibly.
Works Cited
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web.