1 answer
Ava
Student
Oceanside, California
1
Question
Updated
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As private-owned, print media begins to lose power and news moves to digital, social-media driven means, what ways are journalists working to combat the new ways in which misinformation is being circulated?
I'm an 18-year-old graduating senior looking to study journalism, but feeling unsure about the future of news in the digital age.
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1 answer
Martha D. Kramer
Corporate Training and Communications
80
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Martha D.’s Answer
Hi, Ava, congratulations on graduating from college and thank you for asking this important question.
It is important to note that responsible, professional journalists operate in media outside of print, such as television, radio, podcasts, and social media. They combat misinformation by upholding journalistic standards, exposing misinformation and those who spread misinformation, and teaching the public to be discerning consumers of news. By upholding standards, I mean such things as focusing on facts and letting them tell the story, clearly identifying themselves as journalists, and corroborating information from multiple sources. The meaning of exposing misinformation is obvious but how to do it without spreading it further and creating profit for misinformers is an art. The last point of teaching people to identify misinformation for themselves is really important. As you note, people get news from an increasing number of sources, and journalists cannot cover all of them.
See below for links to two detailed statements from journalism associations on this topic. Wishing you good luck!
RTDNA - https://www.rtdna.org/preventing-the-spread-of-misinformation-and-disinformation
PEN America - https://pen.org/disinformation/facts-forward/
It is important to note that responsible, professional journalists operate in media outside of print, such as television, radio, podcasts, and social media. They combat misinformation by upholding journalistic standards, exposing misinformation and those who spread misinformation, and teaching the public to be discerning consumers of news. By upholding standards, I mean such things as focusing on facts and letting them tell the story, clearly identifying themselves as journalists, and corroborating information from multiple sources. The meaning of exposing misinformation is obvious but how to do it without spreading it further and creating profit for misinformers is an art. The last point of teaching people to identify misinformation for themselves is really important. As you note, people get news from an increasing number of sources, and journalists cannot cover all of them.
See below for links to two detailed statements from journalism associations on this topic. Wishing you good luck!
Martha D. recommends the following next steps: