rp041012@ohio.edu
In this current age of media it can be difficult to weed out what is quality, trustworthy media, over the piles and piles of fake and unverified news. It has become difficult to tell whether classic sources can be trusted anymore and it brings about the question, what is it that makes a news source credible in the digital age and why is it important.
Different areas of media and consumerism are currently being tested by the American people to see exactly what their morals are and what they can get away with this days. At Buzzfeed the role of the employee has become an all inclusive job that hopes to push the envelope of truth in online journalism. The higher ups at the publication have made it clear that they want their readers to be able to trust the content generated on the site while not losing out on the importance of quickness. The big question that seems to come up though is where do we draw the line? Is it bad journalism to post online immediately about a story without all the facts?
It may seem unethical but sometimes breaking news has to break before all the details are available and a lot of times breaking news can end up as a "shitshow" but there are certain instances where people need any info over quality info. How can this idea be adapted into a workable strategy for those of us working for a career in a field of blurred lines and uncertainty? The truth must be made clear, or ignorance must be made clear. Fact checking is still extremely important and seems to be making a comeback after a "bow out" of inconsistency brought about by the internet age.
People are also finding it hard to decide whether reader generated comments are newsworthy and worth making available on news sites. As said in the Columbia Journalism Review piece on non-fake news, journalists are creators and adaptors of media and in my opinion it is absurd to not allow readers to become part of the story by being able to add to and clarify what is being produced to the public. Even though it is important to stick to facts, it is also important to understand all angles and see that their may be more than one story or side at play.
So as I come full circle and readdress the idea of what to do, I realize that there is no answer for the same reason we have the question itself, life is uncertain in nature. You never know what the impact of a breaking news story will have or the power that a user generated comment can have on a story whether true or false. As journalists it is up to us to find the middle ground and create a media generation that does not need to second guess its sources. This means having live editing to fix mistakes and roll with updates as well as caring about who our audience is and how the pieces we produce will effect them and the world other than website hits. It is 100% up to us to make sure that journalism as a trusted art stays alive.
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