News in danger

The news media exists to give people information about the world around them which is helpful in everyday decision making. However now the news is in crisis because of pseudo-events and journalists that are now more interested in gaining prestige within their competitors and peers. The sanctity of the news media has been tainted as the newsmakers are mostly after riches than serving its readers.

When the first newspaper started in the 1600s, they promised to give news at least once a month. As time went on, the news was delivered more frequently but that means journalists should find stories and tell them to the world. Evolution of news has made it that not only spontaneous and natural phenomena is reported because that would mean that if nothing is happening then there won’t be news. This has created a platform for news manipulation by public officials and other powerful people. This new era is a critical one for journalists to be the voice for common people and force leaders to be transparent and accountable to their actions and yet most news reporters are running after fame and fortune. It has become so hard for people to recognise and distinguish between real and fake news and frankly it’s up to them to decide what they listen to.

According to Boorstin in his book, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America, “Once we have tasted the charm of the pseudo events, we are tempted to believe they are the only important events. Our progress poisons the sources of our experience. And the poison tastes so sweet that it spoils our appetite for plain fact.” A lot of media sources are biased and they put their one-sided views in the mind of the readers and convince them to believe their claims. These claims are usually interesting and effective in keeping viewers and readers engaged to the point that that is all they want to know and end up dismissing the other side that could have been the truth.

The reports made are not always necessarily relevant to readers, some are created to influence them in a particular way. A lot of headlines come from events created by public relations and press conferences. People always want to hear from the news and yet they choose what they pay attention to and what they ignore. Public figures and politicians understand that and that is why they try to get news reporters on their side. George W Bush has quite a reputation in being a news manipulator, the speeches his administrations gave were fashioned to influence people in a way he wanted. As a lot of journalism jobs are fading, they realise that a way to make a living is to serve the rich, so it’s not hard to convince them to report stories that benefit public figures.

Today’s news has grown to include both parties of the story reported, the news media feels it is only fair that everyone’s opinion is represented. News media have become like a discussion within the world featuring the comment sections from the readers. The words of influencers get out but also how people react and feel about it also gets out. That could serve a great gain to the world because people get to read both sides of the story and choose which one they agree with. If this really happens then that is the death to propaganda and news manipulation. Media focuses a lot on its revenues rising and that means that it has to keep its readers entertained. However, people are more drawn to depressing and outrageous stories than calm and happy ones. In “The Story Behind the Story,” Bowden explains that television loves and promotes drama and confrontation. He says that since people choose to listen to their side of the argument, bloggers and commentators reinforce those views. Most bloggers are not professional journalists and they mainly care about sensational stories so they do not bother to look for the truth and report it.

It’s entirely up to news consumers to filter their news because with the popularity of the internet, a lot of content usually has an ulterior motive towards it. Politicians take advantage of the loss of revenues in professional journalism to paint their reputations clean. Bowden spoke about an incident where a lot of news sources reported the same content which is definitely not a coincidence because the stories carried the same view. He said he was sure that it was something arranged by political activists with an agenda in mind. The fact that all the news sources were reporting the same side of the story proves that no one wanted to go against what they were informed. This leads news consumers to take the stance with the most support and not worry about the other side of the story.

The media’s voice is no longer as strong as it used to be because people have found other cheap and convenient sources that air news every hour. Popularity of internet has made it hard for professional journalism to have a loud enough voice because bloggers and commentators now see themselves as journalists too. Online journalism has become a two-way thing where writers report the news and readers give feedback by commenting on the post. This shift from traditional media has crippled down the effectiveness of disposing the facts and arguments about everyday life. It has also reduced the news media to mere content providers, memes and misinformation.

Despite others saying that a two-sided news reporting will confuse readers, I agree that it will be effective in letting readers decide for themselves what they want to believe. Coverage that includes both sides is less likely to be biased and that is the type of news the world needs.

First published on my earlier portfolio site on April 3, 2023. Written as a class project during my communication studies.