There is a vast collection of topics that can be covered when the issues affecting journalism are being examined, but since lately, more concern has been placed on whether print journalism is dying or not. While some people feel strongly that it is and will eventually go into extinction, some remain optimistic and believes that it can survive by relying on the web. Other issues that surface are the fact that Web Journalism is on the rise, the freedom of the press is being stifled in parts of the world, and the question of whether journalists are publishing biased, balanced or objective contents in their stories.
Journalist Tony Rogers in his article entitled “Issues and Controversies Journalists Face” highlighted these as something that has been and still is a big problem for journalism today. According to Rogers, the newspaper is in trouble because less people are buying them, “Circulation is dropping, ad revenue is shrinking, and the industry has experienced an unprecedented wave of layoffs and cutbacks.” This is quite true and it is made even more believable by a 2018 article in the Washington Post by Douglas McLennan and
Jack Miles “A once unimaginable scenario: No more newspapers.” The article gave significant evidence starting with the introduction of Television and Radio and how print media has been deteriorating since then. It goes on to say that it has become even worse now that the internet came about.
The articles are adamant that the newspaper is dying in slow motion and has been doing so for two decades. To strengthen this resolve, the CEO of the New York Times in 2018 said that Print media has another ten years left before it draws its last breath. This was shown in an article from the Consumer News and Business Channel written by Kellie Ell. He said that the media has maybe a decade left due to how that sales have been in the US at the time, and nothing much has changed since. Therefore, it is safe to say that there are not many who believe in the survival of print media these days and that Journalists will eventually turn fully to online journalism and broadcast.
The rise of web journalism has entertained the question of credibility because the internet is now available to just about anyone to call themselves journalists. Online Journalism is more difficult to sensor, as gatekeeping is tedious on the web. We see numerous opinion pieces, niche topics from bloggers as well as traditional media entities finding a spot on the internet to reach a wider audience. This makes it quite hard to distinguish between what is real and what is not, what one should consider factual or not. Even though this has been and still is aiding traditional Journalism in extending its life span, the internet has served to blur the line between the fake information and the real deal. Kimberly Lestieux’s article in her blog entitled “How Digital Journalism has Affected Traditional Journalism” brings to light that even though there is a lot of room for “Fake news” it is also beneficial to traditional Journalism, also that this is just one of the obstacles that the profession has to face as it survives, just like how it conquered Television, Radio and magazines.
Though press freedom may not be such a big deal in countries such as the United States of America, Jamaica, and some parts of Europe, it remains under lock and key in other parts of the world. In some countries, journalists are held bound by laws, restricting them from doing the one thing that they were made for, which is publishing and broadcasting news, important facts that the public needs to know. Sarah Repucci in her article “Freedom and the Media: A Downward Spiral” gives numerous instances where Journalism is being trampled on because of their lack of freedom in various countries. However, in her research, she has found that even though press freedom is being strangled across the globe, there is hope that Journalism can make a comeback from it. On the contrary, Rogers believe that it is unlikely that this problem will be able to resolve itself in the near future.
Rogers also brought up the topic of fair and balanced Journalism and asks the question, “How reporters can set apart their biases and really report the truth?” It is believed by many that one cannot be fully objective because everyone has their own opinion on a particular subject. But does that mean that it is impossible for Journalists to practice objectivity, and produce biased and completely balanced stories? According to Rogers, this is seen in cable television news where the same stories may be carried by different entities but are twisted in their own different ways to tell a completely different version of the same story.
There's never been a more tumultuous time in the news business. Newspapers are drastically downsizing and facing bankruptcy or the prospect of going out of business entirely. Web journalism is on the rise and taking many forms, but there are real questions about whether it can really replace newspapers.
Press freedom, meanwhile, continues to be nonexistent or under threat in many countries around the world. There are also ongoing controversies about issues such as journalistic objectivity and fairness. It seems like a tangled mess at times, but there are many factors involved that we'll examine in detail.
With the decline of newspapers, web journalism seems to be the future of the news business. But what exactly do we mean by web journalism? And can it really replace newspapers?
In general terms, web journalism includes bloggers, citizen journalists, hyper-local news sites, and even websites for print papers. The internet certainly opened up the world for more people to write whatever they want, but that doesn't mean all of these sources have the same credibility.
Bloggers, for instance, tend to focus on a niche topic, as do citizen journalists. Because some of these writers do not have training in or necessarily care about the ethics of journalism, their personal bias can come across in what they write. This is not what we consider "journalism" per se.
Journalists are concerned with the facts, getting to the heart of the story, and have their own on-the-job lingo. Digging for answers and telling them in objective ways has long been a goal of professional reporters. Indeed, many of these professionals have found an outlet in the online world, which makes it tricky for news consumers.
Some bloggers and citizen journalists are unbiased and produce great news reports. Likewise, some professional journalists are not objective and lean one way or another on political and social issues. This burgeoning online outlet has created all types on either side. This is the larger dilemma because it is now up to readers to decide what is credible and what is not.
Facebook and Twitter have inadvertently created online political cultures of maximal tribalism and infinite personalization. Users can silo themselves in self-made realities while taking part in collective expressions of tribal outrage that often seem alarming and bewildering to outsiders. Professional journalists can’t escape the fact that their work will be performed in service of this process of political polarization. Social media personalization means that journalists essentially become content marketers publishing information for a particular niche. Journalists who understand this income model will have plenty of room for professional growth in the future.
Major social networks have been criticized for allowing fake news stories to proliferate on their platforms. According to the BBC, fake news is read most consistently by the conservatives and liberals who are most likely to vote. They tend to be more educated and earn higher salaries than the general population. In the age of fake news, the challenge for journalists is to publish content quickly without making any fact-checking mistakes.
As more people join social media networks, news journalists have an opportunity to expand their outreach and establish their reputations. The journalism jobs of the future may not be the same as they are today, but they will be available for anyone with the flexibility to adapt to a changing market.
Many companies that advertised in traditional media are now going directly to their consumers to promote their brands. The rise of “sponsored content” and “native advertising” has created a major threat to newsrooms.
Group 1:
Katrish Walker
Racquel Mckenzie
Trisanya Drummond
You may view the original article below.
No comments:
Post a Comment