Should journalists give the people “what they want?”

Caitlin Hunt

ch968116@ohio.edu

(Courtesy of Everplan) 

In various journalism, advertising and PR societies, “to serve the people” is listed as a top priority in their ethical requirements. It seems that at least one company has made it its mission. 

Buzzfeed has made a name for itself by posting fun pop culture listicles and quizzes, making it the talk of social media. In 2016, though, the company moved into more “serious” journalism by creating Buzzfeed News. 

Buzzfeed’s focus is the people. The news organization focuses on a younger generation by using quick, witty pieces to intertwine today’s issues with entertainment. But, the format of the website has some wondering if this is real journalism? Student opinion writer Lexi Marcellino, in particular,  does not agree. She finds that these “dumb downed” articles are harmful to the public’s perception of journalist and says, “when people stop respecting news sources, reporters everywhere take a hit.” 

I have to agree. Journalism is an art form. It takes practice, experience, and a lot of hard work to find stories, gather reliable sources and formulate the perfect story. Buzzfeed’s format often makes this process seem irrelevant or trivial. Thanks in part to social media, Buzzfeed can find tags online, gather the funniest posts, and a few gifs or reaction photos to create a news story. Sure, this is a fun read for a reader, but is it journalism or even just writing? And how does this style display what Buzzfeed thinks of their readers and the public? 

Whatever you decide to call this article, this practice has already put Buzzfeed in hot water. In July 2014, political writer Benny Johnson was fired after it was found that 41 of his 500 articles were plagiarized. Buzzfeed issued an apology and restated that this was not within their ethical guidelines. But, with every case of plagiarism, just one instance of plagiarism is a hard blow to the journalism community as a whole. Plagiarism makes the public not only distrust the media, but also become wary of it. “Who else is lying or making things up?” is most likely what crosses the minds of the public. But, did Buzzfeed leave this gate open when they started pushing this fun, community-oriented stance? 

And the public does not like to be lied to nor do they like being talked down to. Like Marcellino said earlier, Buzzfeed often mixes pop culture with politics. While these articles produce a laugh, they also make it seem that the public would rather be entertained than well-informed. It’s great to find the joy in politician fails, but what about seeking hard-hitting questions or analyzing the candidates? Isn’t that in the best interest of the public and would, in turn, do the most good for our country? 

While it’s great to see a news organization find a way to make waves in the digital age, it’s hard not to question what this kind of news will do to the journalism industry? Will journalists find a way to inform and entertain, or will journalists play on the public’s need to be entertained? Could this lead the people to further engage with journalists or will a career in journalism be somewhat of a joke?