Publish hungry or quality happy?

 By Jamie Miller 

jm83419@ohio.edu

Social media news coverage has increased the news cycle to a 24-hour, non-stop revolution. As a result, print media is declining, while radio podcasts like The Daily are rising. 

But how many revolutions can the wheels turn before the viewer becomes exhausted? 

In 2020, the world faced so many unprecedented circumstances. The live-recorded death of George Floyd was broadcasted worldwide. Daily presidential speeches captivated those looking for COVID-19 updates. An armed insurrectionist group infiltrated the U.S. capitol building. Many sat glued to their screens while waiting for the latest update in a rapidly changing world. 

From a personal standpoint, there is only so much a person can take. With the world rapidly changing, I want to soak in it. The population relies so heavily on journalism, especially when social distancing is a matter of life and death. 

But information takes time to validate. And with the competition over audiences, there is pressure on behalf of media companies to be the first to publish new stories and updates to old stories. Journalists need time, pay, editors, a facility to conduct work, equipment, etc. And with the priority placed on getting the newest and latest updates, alongside the most exciting updates, is there time to prioritize to stories that most affect the world? Or is it more cost-effective to prioritize entertainment? 

Illustration by iStock

As published by an undergraduate honors thesis at William & Mary ScholarWorks, quantity over quality creates stories mainly driven by sensationalism and entertainment. While coverage of the war in Ukraine is objectively essential to viewers worldwide, audiences may feel fatigued over constant and tragic updates from on-the-ground reporters. Meanwhile, news of Kanye West's most recent ban from Instagram and Facebook may be a dramatic and entertaining change of pace. West's actions and words certainly affect his wife, children, fans, and affiliates. 

But there is no world where Kanye West's drama should be prioritized above Russia's vicious, brutal, and unjustified attacks on the civilians of Ukraine.  

NPR noted the difficulty of news stations to balance the line between entertainment and retention of one's audience, reconciling larger world-impacting events such as climate change in their article "The Power of the 24-Hour News Cycle." As the news became more and more accessible through television, in-car radio, cell phone connections, and through the internet, competition between news cites increased exponentially. 

While one might question the ethics behind promoting sensational stories, it is essential to bear in mind the ability of news stations to remain in business. Print news media appears to be on the decline. Is it possible for a news station to remain devoted to more extensive, difficult-to-cover stories while remaining afloat?