Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Jacob W. Solether
js282314@ohio.edu

Trust In The Media Is Lost 

No wonder there's distrust in the media when everyday people see patterns and incidents of complete biases. People shouldn't be ridiculed for distrusting what the media reports, especially when stories differ depending on the demographics of who is being covered. There's definitely a double standard in reporting. There are numerous accounts and reasons why people distrust media publications. One is how institutions mishandle the reporting of minorities and people of color. Entire communities have been reduced to statistics. A black man can be labeled a saint or a thug. In the article from The New York Times, it illustrates how after Hurricane Katrina, captions of people were different based on the color of their skin. In the aftermath following the storm, a black boy was labeled as a looter, whereas the white boy was described as searching for food.

Back In The Day 

People used to believe in what the media told them. Following the Watergate scandal, two-thirds of the country trusted the news. Today, only 32 percent of Americans believe in what the media says. This is astonishing since the role of the media is to serve as a watchdog, as well as to protect citizens from "the man." It is the job of the media to inform the public of important matters, and if the relationship between the two is futile, then the country is deep in trouble.

The Blue Check Mark

It's what every person on Twitter strives for. A person that has a blue check mark next to their name, is often perceived as a reliable and credible source of information. It's safe to assume they're very popular and have a large social media following as well, meaning they have great influence. The internet has opened many doors for journalists; another thing the internet has done is welcomed citizen journalists to the world of reporting and storytelling. Today, more than ever before, people can participate in citizen journalism and anyone with a smart phone and a social media account can become a citizen journalist. No longer do people have to get the news from large, distrusted institutions when they can get the story from a citizen journalist who is reporting live from the scene. Perhaps citizen journalism is what can save the relationship between the media and the public.