The Broken Relationship between Journalists and the Public

 Erin Ashley

ea350918@ohio.edu

In such a rapidly developing industry, the spread of news and information has evolved and become more accessible than ever before, from watching news anchors on a television screen to refreshing the Twitter trending page on a smartphone. With such a rapid evolution comes an entirely new way of communication, a way that is simple, quick, and at times impulsive or dishonest. 

The simplicity of posting to the internet allows anyone to post anything they like with little to no repercussions. There is no requirement to spread only the truth and reality. 

This facet of free speech has dwindled the public's trust in journalism as a whole because quick and easy information may be quick and easy, but it is not consistently factual or accurate. 

The deadly combination of social media and lack of representation of groups in the minority in the media has plummeted the validity of journalism in the eyes of the public because of the inconsistencies in reality.

"How Americans get their news": The American Press Institute

Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword

A blessing in disguise, social media is! While it is one of the main sources of news and information for the general public in this day and age, it is also one of the main sources of deception and inaccuracy.

One can post anything his or her heart desires; such desires aren't required to be restrained by the truth. This has led to a skeptical audience. The learned tendency to be a skeptical reader has led to a disbelief in journalism, as many are quick to judge what is truth and what is not the truth in their own opinions.

 Journalists struggle to bridge the gap that has been created between the media and the public due to misinformation that could have been spread through social media.

TIME Magazine explores the idea that journalists now have to consider both what people say versus what they do and then explore why those two facets might differ. TIME recognized these truth-seeking journalists as the "TIME Person of the Year" for the year 2018 for their revolutionary approach to the trust issues that the public has developed with journalism. 

These journalists have taken on the strenuous task of rebuilding the trust in the media by the people that once existed in society in hopes to recover what once was. It is important for journalists of all types to follow this approach carefully and with open minds in order to eventually recover the trust in journalism in its entirety.

Misrepresentation: Both Spoken and Unspoken

While it may be easy to attribute the lack of trust between the media and the public exclusively to lies and misinformation, misrepresentation of people from minority groups is another deadly source of mistrust. Misrepresentation can be deliberate as well as inherent. 

As journalists, it is our responsibility to recognize what we choose to write about as well as what we choose not to write about. The neglect of communities of minority groups has directly contributed to the decline of trust between journalism and the public because of the decades and centuries of overlooking or blatantly ignoring cultures, communities, and history. 

Catherine R. Squires, a professor of communication studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, writes how decades of misrepresentation of communities of minority groups has led to a general distrust of those in minority groups in the public media. Squires mentions how the thoughtlessness of an entire community's culture has undoubtedly led to a trust gap between said community and the media, as the media has either deliberately or inherently neglected an entire culture for an indefinite amount of time.

Mending the gap between communities of all backgrounds and histories requires journalists to investigate their intended topics as well as their unintended perceptions of what is left unspoken by the media.