The Dangers of the New Media Landscape

The Dangers of the New Media Landscape

The Dangers of the New Media Landscape

Muchof the media is going through tough financial times.The danger here, particularly when it comes to hard news and investigative reporting, is if real news continues to lose ground to sensationalism and entertainment. Takingthe leadof sensationalistic blogs and reality TV,the mainstreammedia seems to be responding with a "givethe audience what they want" approach. That might be well and good as a way to generate revenue, but news and true journalism has never been about giving people what they want. Its primary objective was and is to educate, and inform. Once we start replacing investigative journalism with celebrity scandals and reality TV train wrecks, we are in a very real sense giving awaythekeys to an informed public and a strong democracy.

The knee jerk reaction is understandable, because these are tough times forthe media. According toThe Stateof the NewsMedia (http://www.stateofthemedia.org), in 2009, newspapers, including online, saw ad revenue fall 26% duringthe year, which bringsthe total loss overthe last three years to 41%. Local television ad revenue fell 24% inthe same time frame. Radio dropped 18%. And ad pages dropped 19%, network TV 7% (and news alone probably more). Online ad revenue over all fell about 5%, and revenue to news sites most likely also fared much worse. Only cable news amongthecommercial news sectors did not suffer declining revenue last year.

Panickingmedia outlets are changingthe rulesof the game.Of course it's important to entertain. It's essential.But offering entertainment 24/7 will result in a numbed and uninformed public. Americans don't want to be uninformed, but they don't know what they don't know. Unless there is true quality journalism that is bringing storiesof corruption and malfeasance to light, they will never know these stories exist.

We are replacing news with controversy and entertainment. Learning that a sports star had a numberof affairs is not news its sensationalism. More outlets is notthe answer if it only results in moreof the same. According tothe Pew Research Center (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1523/state-of-the-news-media-2010), their analysisof more than a million blogs and socialmedia sites, finds that 80%of the links are to U.S. legacymedia.The only oldmedia sector with growing audience numbers is cable, a place wherethe lion's shareof resources is spent on opinionated hosts.

There are some encouraging and exciting things happening inthe onlinemedia world, from former journalists creating specialty news sites and community sites, to citizen journalists covering neighborhoods, local blogs and socialmedia. In 2009, Twitter and other socialmedia showed how they could disseminate information, as well as how they could mobilize people to act and react.The collective powerof these sites was able to evadethe censors in Iran and communicate from Haiti afterthe devastating earthquake.

Still, that is no substitute forthe traditional workof the mainstreammedia.Media's challenge now is to make a profit and deliver news. But, it is notmedia's challenge alone. It is ours. If, due to economic constraintsthe media fails to uncover storiesof corruption both in government andthe private sector, we becomethe biggest losers.

Copyright Anthony Mora 2010

POST COMMENT

Apple Iphone - Enjoy The New Trendy Phone Decorate Your Child's Bedroom With New And Modern Removable Wall Stickers Lg Optimus 2x Deals : New Phone By Lg With Latest Features Solar Heat - The Different Types Of Harnessing It's Infinite Power Mobile Phones: Get The Latest Handset On This New Year Planning a perfect wedding in New Jersey Green Stinger by Schwartz Labs: Lose the Fat without Losing the Energy My spinal cord injury treatment to a new level When Energy Drinks Are Needed ! Invisalign Braces For A New Smile ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SOLAR ENERGY Essential Tips To Boosting Up Your Energy Level SOLAR WATER HEATER DESIGN & WORKING