Quality of Information in the Media - Essay Example

Reliability of News Media Students Name: Course: Reliability of News Media There may not be a distinct line between online and traditional media as newspapers will have websites and television shows are also available online (Russell 2007). However media, whether online or traditional, is charged with the responsibility of educating the public on issues that have direct and indirect effects on society. While many and in particular the lay public finds news media believable according to Jackob (2010), an inherent concern regarding the information disseminated is its reliability. Without credibility news media would lack audience and hence fail to meet its purpose of educating the mass. Dees (2013) defines media as a “medium of communication that is designed to reach the mass of the people.”From the definition we can comfortably conclude that the key purpose of the media is to pass information to the people. This essay then examines whether the information disseminated by news media is reliable or not and focuses on both online media and traditional sources such as news paper, television and radio. The method of research employed was review of secondary data from scholarly materials as well as journals and reports. Dees (2013) indicates that, information disseminated to the people contains substantial misrepresentation of the facts, with the rationale of presenting news that represents public interest and this serves as the main driving force for selection of newsworthy agendas. The author also adds that different media organizations are in competition for viewership which most likely compromises the quality of the news, as they will select news content that appeals to the public. Russell (2007) agrees to this by stating that information from the media is so biased that recipients cannot know the truth unless they first know the owner of the paper and the recipient targeted. This implies that a source of information can only be trusted if the owner has good reputation and is experienced. The author adds that media will prefer to televise what looks odd or is exiting to the viewers, which may not give a true picture of current affairs. Dees (2013) has also suggested that another reason why media news is not a reliable source of information is personal anecdotes which are personnel accounts of facts, are very persuasive and attractive to the audience despite their inaccuracy. This suggests information conveyed is not authentic, and authenticity is a key aspect of reliability (Russell 2007). A key guiding principal of media reporting is unbiased reporting which requires that all sides of a story be presented Dees (2013). This however, without proper guidelines of the extent to which the story should be dug in to, according to the author makes the information disseminated so conflicting and confusing that it leads to stratification of the audience in to different groups each holding differing opinions. Jackob (2010) agrees with this by indicating that diversified information is polarizing. This undoubtedly indicates that the intended meaning of information has not been communicated. Lobby groups according to Dees (2013) also provide biased information and operate through blogs and internet site as well as the media. This is likely to cause conflicts with information from credible sources such as government bodies. The author further explains that media also does relay unverified information from highly influential persons such as government officials and celebrities that contradict reliable information from regulated bodies. Russell (2007) agrees with this as he indicates that information from interviews of public figures on television should not be assumed to be true or accurate. The use of online sources of news has been on the rise in the recent past as a research by Tan (2010) notes. Unlike traditional media, online news does not go through the gate keeping process which would ensure unsuitable contents are eliminated according to westerman (2011).The author also points out that since online news is not edited prior to uploading, the responsibility of determining credibility of the information is left to the users .Jackob (2010) indicates that the reliance of some people on none media sources for information is a clear indication of skepticism on media information. Erjavec (2010) agrees with this by indicating that people who enjoy blogs do so because they are skeptic of them and go there for arguments. Jackob (2010) however argues that those that would be skeptic are the learned and who can access alternative sources of data. While there are many arguments against news media, some people still believe that it provides believable content. Owing to many years of practice and experience, traditional media is more popular and credible (Erjavec 2010).The author adds that audience would chose to trust traditional media as a result of careful selection of journalists and editors who would adhere to reporting principles hence ensuring believable news. In his research, the author also notes that traditional media is credible as it presents news on public affairs unlike online sources that focus more on sensational news. The sensational news selection would most likely be aimed at appealing to a large number of audiences. Unfortunately this deters many from online news as the author points out. This clearly indicates that traditional news is formal and has a professional approach which enhances credibility according to Jackob (2010). Journalists also are concerned about, impartiality by ensuring that they carefully select sources of information and people for interview purposes (Erjavec 2010).Law commission (2012) adds that news media and in particular television, news paper and web news paper provide reliable information, which is evident in live footages, video footages and well researched stories. In his findings Westerman (2011) noted that online news is most likely credible as it is machine generated, and according to him machines would generate believable information as they lack emotions, feelings and political affiliations. He further argues that credibility of information can be determined based on the number of followers an online information source has which means that a source with too few followers is considered less credible while on the other hand a source with too many followers looses’ its credibility as it stops being a special page. The author suggests that information sources with moderate number of followers are considered credible and a narrow gap between the number of followers and follows is also a sign of competence of the source. Brossard (2013) attests to this by indicating that the number of short comments on twitter or the number of likes on face book can add a lot of value on information more than the writer had intended. Credibility of online sources is also judged based on the speed with which information is availed which is important in today’s dynamic world (Erjavec2010).The author notes that online media gather and disseminate information promptly, while practicing participatory journalism which involves asking for feedback and tips on selected news items by journalists, and would also enhances reliability of news as audience will believe in news they have participated in making. Audience giving feedback shows that they are interested in the news content which can imply trust in the particular source of information. In conclusion information disseminated by the media undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in shaping society as it has an impact on all aspects of life. Those in charge of news preparation should therefore be cautious to ensure that credibility is not compromised as this can have serious repercussions on tomorrow’s society. There should be a framework in place to guide the process of gathering, processing and dissemination of news and heavy penalties should be imposed on those not adhering to these guidelines. It is also evident from the discussion that no particular source of news is perfect. This only leaves recipients of that information with only one option, to gather information from multiple sources as a single source can have serious short comings. References Law commission 2012, public perception of news media standards and accountability in New Zealand, a summary of the online survey conducted for the law commission by big picture marketing strategy and research ltd.p1-28 Brossard, D & Scheufele, D 2013, Science, new media and the public, American association for the advertisement of science. Kovacic, M, Erjavec, K & Stuler, k 2010, Credibility of traditional vs. online news media: A H historical change in journalists’ perception? P 113-130 Jackob, N 2010, No alternatives, the relationship between perceived media dependency, use of alternative information sources and general trust in mass media, International Journal of Communication p589-606 Dees, P & Berman, D 2013, the Media’s Role in Vaccine Misinformation, Springer Science business media, New York. Tan, B 2010, improving Wikipedia’s credibility: Reference and Citations in a Sample of History Articles, Journal of the American society for information science and technology,61(4),715-722,ASIS&T Russel, B 2007, Evaluating information: validity, Reliability, Accuracy, Triangulation, p 79-99 Read More