Dylan Reines
dr183518@ohio
Everyone’s a journalist. Your aunt, your best friend, that awkward neighbor that you say hi to sometimes. Technology has given 82% of Americans the ability to share news via social media. It has made it foggy to define what makes a journalist. Social media has made misinformation a commonality, and almost everyone has fell victim to sharing or re-sharing misleading news.
What defines a ‘journalist’ is now a grey area. The journalism community struggles with moderating fake news while also giving everyone the right to free speech. People see a viral event, record it, and that tweet or post reaches millions of people. It can technically be ‘news’ but are they considered a journalist for sharing that content?
Accredited journalists have struggled to separate themselves from the influx of people sharing news off of their cellphones. The ability to broadcast one’s self to the world has led to an increased spread of unreliable information. The rise of media-sharing technologies is to blame for the mass amounts of 'fake news' found on social media, but it has also been a major player in one surprising role: solving murders.
Musician Chris Lambert described himself as a shy man, but that shyness didn’t stop him from helping solve the 1996 murder of Californa Polytechnic freshman Kristin Smart. Lambert’s podcast, “Your Own Backyard”, reviewed overlooked evidences in Smart’s case and drew national attention to the unsolved murder. His podcast hit 7.5 million downloads and was the No.2 podcast on Itunes. Lambert’s utilization of accessible journalism earned him praise from a county sheriff who thanked Lambert for his role in helping lead to the arrest of the killer.
Detective Woody Overton used his podcast “Real Life Real Crime” to solve the 2004 murder of 19-year-old Courtney Megan Coco. Coco’s family exclaimed that after the crime was listed as a cold case, Overton and his podcast, “then solved her murder in only seven short weeks and turned over his findings to APD.” After news of the arrest, the family stated they had, “waited 16 agonizing years for this day to come.”
The journalism community battles an ethical fight between protecting the first amendment and slowing the spread of misinformation. Journalistic principals have been walking a thin line as online writers battle for engagement. The accessibility of journalism has had its flaws, but it has also had its triumphs.
No matter what kind of news someone decides to create, “In the end, journalism is an act of character.”
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