The Internet gives any individual the tools to be an amateur reporter, which can be a good and a bad thing for the public. Blogs, personal web sites and social networking sites allow anybody to make their opinion public, encouraging free speech. Snippets of events can be reported immediately by the instantaneous uploading of videos from cell phones or tweets relaying happenings moment to moment.
But the fact that anybody can say or post anything they want without consequence leaves a large potential for error and bias. Individuals have the legal right to spread almost any rumor, as long as the accusations aren't very serious. Matt Drudge could spread celebrity gossip without much regard for the emotions or right to privacy of the individuals in the spotlight, but commentators on RateMDs.com couldn't have legally stated that a doctor had killed two patients unless such a statement was supported by the courts. As individuals uploading their opinions and "facts" for free don't have the financial incentive to keep audiences, they don't care if they turn people away by being incorrect. A site like Huffington Post self-polices the articles and statements it uploads, because to not do so could cost the site readership and eventually its advertisers.
The freedom the internet affords the individual to report on news or comment on events is a double edged sword. Freedom of expression and creativity are encouraged. The experiences of some people, such as citizens abused in dictator ruled countries in the Middle East, would not have been shared other wise. But these same people can also lie without serious consequences. News is immediately relayed by people on the ground as it happens, bringing new opportunities for real investigative reporting, but it might not be entirely accurate. The presence of independent amateur reporters on blogs and social networking sites is a resource that can improve our understanding of events, but their statements should be double checked by readers who are conscious of the potential for false information or biased reporting.
Sources:
-Vivian, John. The Media of Mass Communication.
The unavoidable fact is that all news is biased, especially that of mainstream news organizations owned by large corporations and constantly vying for access to politicians. The internet not only allows individuals to counteract this bias with their own, but more importantly makes it much easier for the average person to access a wide range of sources on any given topic.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Manufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky? It's the most enlightening text on news bias that I've come across.
True. News corporations can be capable of greater bias than the individual, because the solidarity of the organization demands uniformity of reporting.
DeleteI haven't read it. Thanks for the comment! Sorta saving my pennies right now. Take my thoughts as payment. :)