For me, one of the most interesting lessons came recently, when we discussed Opinion Writing, which in it’s rawest form, is becoming the most prevalent type of journalism. Sure, the examples given in class present the better part of opinion based journalism, but what about the rest?
There has always been some degree of opinion in writing. Though journalists often strive for objectivity, it has become harder to remain competitive without showing some bias.
Unfiltered, attention grabbing news outlets, like crazy tabloids or fringe radio stations, have been around as long as their mediums have, developing just as quickly as the technology.
Enter the Age of Information, where a new technology known as “The Internet” connects people all over the world with one click of a mouse. What started as a knowledge database quickly became a way to have your voice heard by anyone. When anyone can have such a large platform, it becomes more difficult to enforce an ethical code.
The first victim was objectivity. Hundreds of independent news sites have sprung up, many of dubious origins, that put a partisan spin on the news. When opinions are presented as facts, people will take them as evidence, creating an echo-chamber for ideologies. News has become increasingly commodified, and those pulling the strings profit off both sides of the aisle.
The next victim will be truth. As we move into the Post-Information Age, evidence is slowly being replaced with emotions as the backbones of beliefs. Over saturation of these rogue news sources allows for so many skewed accounts of an event, it becomes near impossible to distinguish the truth amongst the fray.
This is certainly a large challenge in contemporary journalism, and I am very interested to see where things go from here. But my optimism is fading fast.
Sources:
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/leonard-pitts-jr/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/03/post-information-age-benghazi-gop
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sirenabergman/2017/02/28/the-news-sites-on-the-far-left-and-far-right-may-be-owned-by-the-same-people/#23e0e2406eaa