Journalism is Dead. Who Killed it?

JOURNALISM IS DE

AArt by Deana DieujusteWritten by Bella Kubach D

Killed It

In the U.S. today, the political climate is rigid. There is no longer a middle ground. The 2020 election, for example, was saturated by the media, and soon enough, every detail of the candidates’ lives was plastered on the internet. At the time, it was clear which news outlets were favoring what parties and candidates. However, true journalism was never supposed to reveal bias. In fact, its whole purpose is to deliver unbiased media coverage. In recent years, political topics have seemingly consumed our news sources. Whether it be the New York Times, the Sun Sentinel, or the Washington Post, some political story is always making the headlines. Truthfully, everything in society seems rather political today. People now even go as far as judge your political beliefs solely based on your appearance. I didn’t know a septum ring could cause so much chaos at Thanksgiving.

In such a confusing political climate, many Americans have avoided politics altogether. Or, they’ve neglected to turn to CNN or Fox for news for fear of bias. As a result, Gen Z is turning to TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram

as their news sources. The truth is these social media platforms are the breeding grounds for spreading misinformation and bias. Often, the influencer dispersing the news is not qualified to be doing so. The internet is in a vicious cycle of consuming information without checking sources.

The media is so quick to believe flashy information seen on TikTok, but who is their favorite influencer getting their information from? Who are they partnered with that might sway them to say certain things? Cite your sources, please!

As college students, we often learn the harm in trusting information from disreputable sources. We’re forced to compile extensive works cited pages for this very reason. But in the same breath, we believe every exciting headline we see in the media. Today, it seems like social media is our journalism. Newspaper died. Are blogs next? The fact that many Americans consume their news from Facebook should not be a fact we own proudly. In fact, it turns society into a giant game of telephone. One person reads something crazy online, spreads it to the next, and so on. But who’s to know if that information is fact?

Trusting information on social media so blindly is insulting to the journalists who dedicate their lives to dispersing unbiased media. While some may have hidden agendas, most do not. Most journalists have the objective of informing the world about pressing issues. In fact, some journalists risk their lives reporting overseas. Despite the danger, foreign correspondents are necessary for society. We need someone to be able to report on global issues from places that we are unable to travel to.

In 2021, UNESCO called attention to the safety of foreign correspondents. They said, “Foreign correspondents are affected by growing hostility and violence towards the press, including gender-based violence and harassment against women journalists as well as killings.” Female journalists, specifically, are targeted when reporting in countries where women do not have the same social status as men. Additionally, some countries like to censor their media. Officials in these countries

may become hostile if they do not like the media the journalists are planning to report on.

In America, we have freedom of the press. However, many countries in the Middle East lack that right. Although, many things occur there that deserve media coverage. In efforts to uncover this information, journalists are met with hostility. In a report conducted in May of 2021, there were 348 cases of threats and violence against female journalists globally just in the first quarter of the year. Furthermore, many journalists have been jailed in foreign countries simply for reporting.

Journalists are not only seen in a negative light abroad, though. Many government officials dislike the press because of the light it sometimes casts on them. Journalists have the responsibility to unearth information that is only sometimes nice. Only some of the information we consume can be digestible. Journalists are responsible for bringing injustice to the forefront and holding people accountable for their actions.

With general hostility towards the press, people have refrained from participating in interviews in recent years. As a student journalist, I’ve seen hesitance in many of the people I ask to interview. The person being interviewed often wants to ensure that their name will only be disclosed to my teacher and classmates. For all my assignments, this is no problem, as none of my stories are being published. However, it is alarming how fearful students are to answer controversial questions.

This fear likely stems from the current political climate. With so much extremism, people are hesitant to answer on pressing issues that might stir drama. They are fearful they will receive backlash from someone with an opposing political opinion. But when did we, as a society, become unaccepting of the opinions of others? We need everyone to think differently to maintain balance in our communities.

Journalists dedicate their careers to uncovering these differences. Most school systems do not broadcast current events. However, we must stay informed on local, national, and global issues. What’s happening in other countries

They are fearful they will receive Backlash from someone with an OPPOSING political opinion.

But when did we, as a society, become unaccepting OF THE OPINIONs OF others?

does actually affect us. The whole world works together to exchange resources. When one country is under duress, we are all impacted somehow. However, most foreign news is not presented to us unless we seek it out. Our education system neglects to teach us about some of the most pressing issues.

Despite the negative stigmas that surround journalists and their careers, journalism is not, in fact, dead. It can’t be. We rely on it to present our news that we would have no way of obtaining otherwise. Besides, we need to use it as a source to fact-check what we hear from social media influencers. Newspapers may be outdated, but general news is as important now as ever. Today, and for the foreseeable future, we will have to rely on journalists to report until we can get robots to do it.