Opening a Can of Fully-Armed Worms: How Media's Constant Shocking Coverage Drove a Thirst for Less Credible News

                                    

                                                Photo from Axis Public Relations

Media and news companies have always striven to be the best and most exhilarating. But unfortunately, the pressure put on reporters and writers has diverted them to constantly spewing the most shocking content that will draw viewers in and keep them there instead of carefully choosing content and sources.

"In the past ten years, I think the appetite for breaking crime news has acquired more urgency — nothing changes a static news site like a 'new' crime story," says Newsday reporter Andrew Smith. Uncovering incomplete and extremely graphic stories is usually frowned upon because they can be untrue or covered with less respect. However, with recent pressures to be the most up-to-date, news centers struggle to uphold their morals and the need to be relevant.

"The danger," Mark Becker of WSOC-TV added, "is that sometimes you go on with something that's not quite cooked yet — it's information (from authorities) that may not be exactly correct … It's hard to hold your breath and say you're going to wait."

Along with the need for speed, newsrooms frequently look for more sensational content to exhibit. This story is not new, however. An article from the New York Times notes, "Historically, traditional mass media has also shown graphic images and horrifying videos like terrorist attacks or the 1991 Rodney King beating while barraging audiences with related content."

This 24-hour news cycle of horrific, fast-paced, and fast-released content has driven consumers to seek it out everywhere. Because of this, there is a demand for any news station to do the same to keep views up. Unfortunately, having these stresses diminishes how well most writers and editors can do their job and how ethically they can work to improve ratings.

A study done at the University of Houston about the 24-hour news cycle mentions the term CNN Effect. "The "CNN Effect" is a phenomenon in political science and media studies that compels policymakers to intervene in political and economic situations by using the mainstream media. The 24-hour news cycle contributes to the CNN Effect by requiring news outlets to compete to have the most up-to-the-second news blasted out before others do."

So many CEOs and news corporation executives are competing to be the number one news source. To hold that title, they must have all the information before anyone else. That causes everyone to jump on any story immediately, so they don't lose their spot as the first reporters. 

It is essential to have news coming on time; there still needs to be some cushion time for editors to verify the information and clarify pressing matters so we don't misinform the public when our job is to inform. Most stations and papers have done a fantastic job of limiting themselves first to provide the most credible information on a story. However, as demands increase and other news outlets loosen up on their requirements, we can likely see this trend shift.