News in the age of social media

To say that there is opportunity in crisis is a cliché, and perhaps a polite term. Nevertheless, it remains true.Journalism in different ways in crisis for Job losses, how to pay for journalism as revenues decline, and tackling the scourge of misinformation in the age of social media. We need ideas to help us get out of this crisis and move forward in a better direction.

diversity of voices

Digital migration remains messy and random. No one has cracked the code to making money from digital. new york times Currently, more than half of its revenue comes from… digital subscription For the first time, we exceeded the number of copies printed. But for the most part, the public is used to getting their news for free online and on social media, where it is confused with “fake news” and the latter more than any other news. It will also spread quickly. By 2019, new york timesInterestingly, while it has 3.4 million paid subscribers, there are slightly more female users (than male). Could this be a result of hiring a gender editor in 2017, inspired by the #MeToo movement? The book points out the importance of gender and racial diversity and equality throughout each chapter.

social media and journalists

News could be saved if journalists distanced themselves from social media, at least to some degree. It’s good for journalists to post links to their articles, but it’s also good for journalists to avoid reactions and refrain from presenting opposing positions, as if all social truths can be reduced to binary oppositions. can. Unnecessary provocations will only cause more useless noise. Social media requires some level of involvement by journalists, including information about story traction, tone and discussion. But Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are not representative of South Africa as a whole, or nearly half of its 58 million people.of twitter toxicity It fosters the divisive and “shout-out” binary nature of social media, and the more journalism contributes to this, the more power it loses. The multiple views to be reflected, the nuances that may be offered, and the analysis of these views cannot be found on social media. Relying on social media is only counterproductive to building a radical democracy with diversity of opinion. Social media tends to incite war-like “enemy positions.”

role of government

The government-funded Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) has not been a huge success. The community newspaper sector is dying. For example, 10 years ago there were approximately 585 community newspapers; today there are less than 200. Community news media now come together as “Facebook communities” rather than being supported by independent online digital news products. The general expectation was that social media and the internet would make that possible. Leveling the playing field More inclusivity and diversity are called for, but in return, more power than ever has been transferred to international technology companies. Imposing fair and effective taxes on large media companies such as Facebook and Google has become an urgent campaign, but taking it seriously will require a concerted effort from international governments and significant political will. It will be.

Media companies need imagination

Media companies have shown insensitivity and clumsiness in their methods. Withdrew in large numbers, the professional journalist workforce has been cut in half over the past decade. In the era of the new coronavirus infection (Covid-19), more journalists I lost my job. News media capabilities have never recovered from the 2008 global financial crisis, when companies replaced journalists with “content producers.” Mainstream newsrooms now have young, tech-savvy content producers working long hours for low wages. Instead of cutting out older journalists, we could have come up with a more imaginative plan to retain both older and younger journalists, and there is still room for that. For example, a previously well-paid senior journalist can now work fewer hours and mentor younger content producers in their writing, encapsulating the context that “content” often lacks. Conversely, content producers can mentor older journalists in technical skills. Skills are inherited in both directions. Chapter 4 of this book states: tsunami of unemploymentThe study found that no media company asked senior journalists, including deputy editors, whether they would accept a lower salary or work half-days or half-weeks in order to maintain and transfer their skills. This was one of the biggest losses of power for journalism.

The newsroom

Calling publicists journalists proves the problem with the new term “fluid journalism” (enhanced by digital media). There are many people who disseminate “facts”, “information”, and “opinions” in the media, but are they journalists? In these circumstances, the role of fact-checking and verification for journalists is more important than ever.Independent fact-checking bodies such as: africa check, is widespread all over the world. This is good news, but newsrooms also need a fact-checking body. The cry of “back to basics” is one way to save this technology. Verification and fact-checking give credibility and credibility to the news and add value to it. The sub-desk of fact-checking journalists is nearly depleted, at the expense of a significant loss in the value of news. Increasing awareness of the Press Code in our newsrooms will particularly help with the issue of right of reply, which accounts for the largest proportion of all complaints to the Press Council.

information failure

The “fake news” phenomenon is here to stay and will only get worse in an era of rising nationalism, populism, and onslaught on democracy.Media researchers Claire Wardle and Hossein Derakshan advocate Stop using the term “fake news.” In an era of information anarchy, the term “fake news” can be used to describe misinformation, disinformation, malicious information (intentionally malicious or intended to cause harm), and political propaganda. Cover up. Fake news is enabled by technology, especially social media, but this is not the same as saying technology and social media are to blame. They just make things easier. And the social media backlash is especially felt by female journalists, who have been trolled and persecuted for exposing corruption. Media companies have a responsibility to address cyber misogyny, such as name and shame trolls who spread damaging falsehoods. When members of the public jump in to spread information they know may be fake, they are contributing to: schadenfreude (joy in misfortune, or pleasure in malice).

regain trust

The more the idea of ​​“liquid journalism” is touted by techno-determinists and techno-optimists, the more journalism will disappear. The more journalism is confused with social media, and the more “fake news” we see on social media, the less trust there will be in journalism.journalists must stop chasing We shift our focus to fair reporting, great long-form reporting, analysis and research, with an emphasis on social media and technology. Brands that prove themselves, regardless of which platform they publish on, tend to survive. Public interest journalism can survive. What I called “green shoots” in Chapter 7 are signs of hope. What public interest journalism looks like is being reimagined. Many of these agencies are nonprofit and rely on reader support funds and philanthropy (new frame, ground upand daily maverick For example: We also collaborate with academia as follows: conversation.

collaboration

Cooperation and alliances are trends in international and regional investigative reporting to catch criminals. Collaboration between civil society advocacy groups, community-based organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Right2Know can be particularly useful for feminist fights against violence and other issues such as climate change. But advocacy journalism should be marked as such. This includes organizations working to improve the position of the poor, marginalized and unemployed, as well as LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, intersex, queer/questioning people) ) also applies to organizations supporting the concerns of

In 2018, I attended a Sanef (SA National Editors Forum) meeting with LGBTIQ groups and was struck by the number of black women expressing their dissatisfaction with mainstream newspapers. They cited analyzes and editorials that had been “thrown out” or written in newsroom jargon. ,”spike”. “That’s mainstream media for you,” they said. What’s the point in hearing the same old way of life when there are new perspectives, reflecting new times, and reaching the editor’s desk? Who benefits when new opinions are cast aside? For the first time, Glass ceiling survey 2018, a small number of respondents referred to themselves as “other” rather than male or female. Those advocating for the right to a fluid identity and sexuality are proof that times have changed. For our media to reflect true diversity in race, gender, class and sexuality, this must be reflected in the research we do, the stories we write, and who we interview and how we interview them. Must be.

Further investigation

Investigative reporting is an area in which the media has great power, and we should put even more effort into it. As a result of numerous stories over the past two decades, investigations helped bring down corrupt presidents. The Zondo Commission continues to reveal how the tender manipulation took place, including millions of dollars in bribes paid. Stuff your Louis Vuitton handbag with cash), Jacob Zuma and many of his supporters were once again found at the center of witness testimony. But let’s not forget the fact that investigative journalists exposed Bosasa’s links to government corruption more than a decade ago. The Zondo Commission is currently hearing directly from witnesses and whistleblowing. The committee got a head start on journalism.

opportunity to serve

Media has the power to think and act beyond everyday mainstream cultural and cognitive norms. This book examined the balance of power and acknowledged that something was afoot. Old norms are changing and power structures are being challenged more than ever. There is a growing backlash not only against big business, corrupt politicians, patriarchy, and racism, but also against the greed of the mainstream media, which is part of the old norms and elitist system.

But there is an opportunity for change to finally help viewers. Although investigative reporting continues to be praised, I have argued that journalists can do more than expose corruption. It could also expose the lack of humanity in media companies, and encourage more thoughtful, empathetic, and inclusive journalism.

Journalism has power, and amidst the noise of social media, the noise of us and them, men and women, black and white, left and right, climate change or no climate change, feminist or sexist binaries, we are human. You can discover sexuality itself. All of this seems possible when we consider mainstream coverage of Afro-narratives in Chapter 7. decolonial green shoot. As Fanon said, black skin, white mask, “Yes to life, yes to love, yes to generosity” (no to degradation, disrespect, humiliation and inhumanity; the latter is a no-no to racism, poverty and cyber misogyny in SA and around the world) ). We can consider this when rethinking media and journalism in the “struggle for the creation of a human world, a world of mutual recognition.” (fanon in wretch of the earth). This applies not only to politics and life itself, but also to journalism.

In this book, we have looked at how power works and how it works. Power is eccentric, slippery, and paradoxical. It shifts and slides depending on where you stand, your position, and your line of sight. The power also lies in re-imagining. DM

Glenda Daniels is an Associate Professor in the School of Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She is a media freedom activist, journalist, and author of Fight for Democracy (2014).

This is an edited excerpt from ‘Power and Loss in South African Journalism: News in the Age of Social Media’. has been published Wits University Press, 2020.