There has been a lot of talk about journalism and news lately. John Oliver, in August, posted a video talking about local news is in deep trouble. There is plenty of problems with news, revenue, and how to make the vital information that keeps our democracy going also profitable.

There are plenty of voices who have complained about the capitalistic nature of media. NPR was created to a balance to the corporate autocracy of media that became prevalent in the 1970s as the modern media conglomerates that we love to hate began to come together. The comments on this YouTube were quite telling. The comments ranged from “Give me local events and things I care about!” to “Well, what can we do about it?”

There’s much we can do to interact with the news and the world around us.

However, let’s dispel some myths first. 

Myth #1: There is a grand media conspiracy to cover news stories for people in power.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is why does the mainstream media not cover more of the meme’s, blog posts, and other digital news ennui that frequently finds a quick audience on Facebook. Many of my alternative reading friends will post with vitriol in their words, “Why isn’t the mainstream media covering this?”

The answer is simple: proof. Much of what populates alternative media sites is hearsay and conjecture. There’s nothing wrong with writing that on a personal blog or even a popular blog. The chance of lawsuit is very slight. However, as Gawker has learned, if a media company is big enough, people who’ve been subject to the consequences of hearsay and conjecture will lawyer-up and sue the media outlet and win big judgments if the case is good. Most media organizations due to ethical and legal concerns will not touch a story until there are real and verified sources making claims. If those claims can be verified: even better.

Myth #2: The media isn’t being “Fair”

Another complaint about news that is quite popular in this election is how, “fair” the news is to differing candidates. Bernie Sanders supporters were convinced that the mainstream media was not giving him a fair shake despite the fact that he was constantly mentioned in any conversation to do with the democratic candidates and that the person who was really sucking the air out of the newsroom was Donald J. Trump. Rather than rail against Hillary supporters and blame the media for not giving their candidate enough air-time, people should spend more time actually doing something for their candidate. Besides, what a Trump supporter might consider “fair” would be different than what a Sanders or Hillary supporter might consider “fair.” Afterall, it’s not like an upstart candidate can’t take the whole party by storm and turn the coverage in his or her direction. Barack Obama was good at it, so good, he stole the nomination right out of Hillary Clinton in 2008. Her supporters didn’t complain about the media or blame a conspiracy. They campaigned for Obama. But this is a uniquely modern problem that has a far greater implication. The media is not here to validate people and their biases.

The news is many things but it is not meant to confirm your biases; it is not meant to give you a version of the truth that makes sense to you and only you. 

The news should disturb and anger because that’s when change starts. Many people talk about how the media is dividing us and how the media is working against this or that. The media is driven by a few factors among those are ratings, a reporting of reality, what affects society as a whole, and a flavor of culture. This is deeply affected by the people that work in newsrooms and by people in editorial. This is as true for the new media as it was for the old and where the frustration comes in is that people live in these information bubbles and so when something is said or happens that doesn’t confirm what they already think they act irrational as if someone is lying to them. Often, it is simply easier to blame the media than be self-reflective on what we bring a consumers to the news.
I am often frustrated by the complicity we have in media in some of the goings-on in our society. There is no shortage of problems to report on, corporations to go after, public ills to bring to light, and things to get people worried about. The media can be a tremendous force for good but it can also enable ignorance.
Doing good doesn’t always pay the bills
The kind of reporting that both groups I’ve talked about demand just doesn’t make much money and it’s no good way to get and keep corporate advertisers. In an increasingly shrunken and corporatized market, media, as we have it, needs to be able to make money. For many people, the news is boring and irrelevant. It’s not like a private person can solve many of the problems they might find on a news site. It makes for great Facebook comment anger but it really can’t extend much beyond that. Most people just disengage.
What can I do?
People gravitate towards that which affects their lives. Things they need for their children, their relationship, family, and home. That is the area in which they have control and can affect change. Another war in Africa is too far out of their control. We live in a society where we are doing more and more with and for ourselves. We are subjects acting in this world and more and more pressure is placed on the individual rather than greater society. Many people don’t see them as a functionary in greater society or even a member of society but simply a person trying to get through life. Read biographies on Twitter and Medium. The news asks us to consider what kind of world we are living in and in our culture we don’t think like that anymore. When our candidate is bashed, it’s not coverage, it’s a personal attack. When our passion-subject isn’t getting 24/7 coverage on CNN with graphics and a commentary from Anderson Cooper, the mainstream media is “ignoring big news.” For everyone else, the news is simply irrelevant. It does not affect them as subjects in the conversation and story of their life which makes it practically non-existant. Often, people lament “what do we have to do to get people to care about what is going on?”
My answer is fairly simple: You can’t.
There are only a few people who are going to really care about any cause or problem in the world. The media has realized this and chooses what various experts and editors think is worthy and important. Thanks to the internet, that is bigger and wider than ever before. If we are going to save journalism and we’re going to save the information that we’ve come to rely on and count on then we’ll have to find new and exciting ways of supporting that reporting. To some degree the comments section is correct. Local media would do well to look at what local event publications are writing about and doing and seeing how they can move in that direction. Letting people know about news that really affects them is just as important as distance conflict. Covering the local fair and the variety of businesses is just as important as corruption at city hall. If local media can do that in a fast and exciting way that gets the word out to people in a hurry then not only will they be able to earn advertising dollars for that but they would also be able to engage more and more readers. Many outlets have turned to video and podcasts as a way of interacting with their readers and local media is uniquely positioned to take on this trend and make the most of it. The technology is cheap and easy to understand. I agree with John Oliver that expecting journalists to be interactive and write and produce video is a lot to do but if journalists worked together as a team (like the old desk system) and found new ways of creating content and distributing that content then these media brands would be far more successful than they currently are. Newspapers have writers and editors that they can brand and get people excited about. Slate, Vox, Medium, and every successful blogger proves that it can and does work. The city daily newspapers need to catch up and follow the lead of so many industry leaders and embrace the new technology rather than wishing people would just do something else.
Let’s support local media and be more informed.
Local media needs to catch up with us where we are.
It’s a two-way street.
What do you think about it?

Discover more from The Cameron Journal

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR