Journalists regularly find ourselves in conversations about the future of media and the ever-changing landscape of news coverage.
Reinventing the wheel happens about as often as an oil change anymore. Technology has advanced so rapidly that most businesses, including traditional media outlets, have a difficult time forming strategies that will still be relevant in a few months, much less for the long-term.
In the midst of this ongoing discussion is the most important facet of journalism — the audience. That’s a generic term for you — the reader, the listener and the viewer. How you consume news and what you value should lead all consideration of news and sports coverage.
Yet political dynamics have actually shifted news consumption back in time. Consider the days when cities had two newspapers — one that followed the Republican line and the other that touted Democratic stances. Sometimes these news organizations would even operate out of the same building.
For partisans, it’s a good strategy. They prefer their news with a little political spin. It’s also easier to gain an audience because you’re providing information and stances that cater to a certain ideology.
As far as the truth goes, it’s not a reliable method. If you go back and read some of the newspapers from 50 years ago, you’ll find some pretty alarming content that was presented as objective news coverage.
So back to the future, we find this method of media circulating again in the form of “conservative” or “progressive” networks. They play upon the passionate political beliefs many of us hold. We want to believe in something, so we’ll ignore the other side. It’s human nature. It’s also why I won’t tell my cats that it isn’t Santa Claws bringing them goodies on Christmas Day, but rather their Grinch of an owner/servant.
Then there’s the social media dynamic. Every day is April Fool’s Day on the internet. The amount of false information spread online is alarming. The fact that people believe it is concerning.
Public safety is perhaps most affected by this trend, at least locally. Almost every week a rumor spreads like a wildfire on “news” social media websites about a violent incident, one that is later proven to be unfounded or only partially true.
Police agencies clear the situation up with a social media post of their own, but it’s often too late. The false narratives have been shared hundreds of times. People love drama, even if it isn’t real.
Again, this isn’t new. Yellow journalism was quite popular in the 19th century. Now that people have the ability to reach thousands of viewers with a post, the facts seem to come second to the thrill of breaking a rumor for clicks and engagement.
So back to where we started. I was recently engaged with some fellow journalists from print, radio and TV about the state of the news business. Each offered their own take on what the future will hold. The ideas were sound in theory, but all seemed to center around the belief that facts must be the focus. People still believe in real journalism and will support it.
This is where I posed the question, “Do facts still matter?”
Before you flood my inbox with emails accusing me of dismissing factual reporting, let me insist that nothing could be further from the truth. Facts do matter, or at least they should. Being first to a story isn’t nearly as important as being the most accurate. People should value honesty and reality so that they can make decisions based on facts.
But does our society still see it that way?
News organizations have a responsibility to encourage media literacy, but we can’t do that alone. Technology has made accessing information so easy that too many people don’t value the ones who actually gather that information. Many certainly balk at paying for it.
Instead, too many people would rather rely on half-truths and biased commentary guised as journalism. Or they don’t care about what’s happening in their community. That’s not a good outlook for the future of our nation.
I believe that facts matter, and since you’re reading this column, I think you do, too. But the future of journalism won’t be determined by conversations amongst journalists. It will be decided by you, the audience.
Do we as a society prefer gossip, misinformation and bias, or do we want the truth? That’s not a question that AI can answer for us.
Daniel Suddeath is the editor of the News and Tribune in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He can be reached at 812-206-2130, or by email at daniel.suddeath@newsandtribune.com.