A Crisis of Identity

Thomas Carberry
tc173113@ohio.edu

Information is the driving force of all life. Being able to fully comprehend the world around you is essential to any living thing, and especially beings as complicated as ourselves. For a society to function at all levels the free flow of information, from accurate, sources is paramount.
That is why Journalism, of some sort, is an essential profession in all societies, even the most primitive.

Since its inception many have joined the ranks of professional journalists as a service rather than a vocation. It has been as a essential service that keeps communities together, social groups and cultures cohesive, and allows for democracy to thrive.

Journalists today are experiencing a crisis of identity. The media's approval rating has been plummeting since the 80s and 90s largely due to sensationalism on broadcast news channels. At the time TV stations were pumping out stories day and night about crime despite the fact that crime rates were heavily decreasing from the decade before.

Here's an example of a headline from the infamous 1989 Central Park Five trials, "Marauding Packs Have Run of the City" by Adam Nagourney and David J. Krajicek of the New York Daily News     

It wasn't only the cheapening of news that made for such low approval but also the fragmentation of main stream media based on ideological grounds. The rift created a general disdain for main stream media; the public generally assumed all news outlets have their own particular bias, and that they would  spin any story any way they please.

A major complaint by the public is that the main stream media are unable to truly educate people on policy because of their inherent biases. “The discussion shows that are supposed to enhance public understanding may actually reduce it, by hammering home the message that issues don't matter except as items for politicians to fight over,” writer for The Atlantic James Fallows said.

Sensationalism has always been a part of the media and will likely never fully phase out, but particular modes of receiving information are more inclined towards sensationalized stories. TV and internet are the prime examples. Broadcast and online news both run on a 24 hour cycle and have a lot of other programs and applications to compete with the audiences attention. But the news cycle and competition aren't the only things to blame for sensationalism. Profitability of online news is now a huge factor in the content of media and how it is presented. The media is in the midst of an advertising revenue dilemma because that is the only way to make profit in online journalism besides subscriptions, which are wildly unpopular

Fragmentation and sensationalism are becoming norms within the media at an increasing rate due to the rise of online publications. Now more than ever people can pick and choose between a vast array of media outlets that fit their own views, and never challenge themselves to think from a different perspective or about entirely different topics. Social media has completely changed how people view news; cushy, condensed videos are a primary source of media for much of the youth, and topics that cannot be explained in less than 140 characters are likely to lose attention.

Many of the values that Journalists believed they ascribed to are not being upheld by the media, or are seeming to be phased out. The only way journalists can truly combat this crisis of identity is to find a new means of gaining revenue. That way publications can be comfortable enough to shake up their audience. The current system of striving for profitability by pandering to the laziness of the audience is destroying the art itself.

Gallup.com