News is all around us. It is inevitable to avoid, but we do have the choice of who and what we believe. In my opinion, our world has evolved into a world of quantity over quality when it comes to journalism. By that, I mean that we are more concerned with knowing the latest update, than worrying about the accuracy of our source.
In Kovach and Rosenstiel’s book, Blur, they refer to news as “things that are new and all around the world- North, East, West and South.” I agree that news does report “new things” and update us on what is happening in the world, however, I don’t think that all things that are new can really be considered news. The wide range of sources, from tabloids to major news channels, present us with different levels of facts and accuracy. I have to admit that I am guilty of reading the tabloids and trusting most things I read on the internet about celebrities, however, I would consider this information to be more of a source of entertainment rather than news. When it comes to what designer an actress is wearing or who Taylor Swift is currently dating, I tend to trust any source because the information is rather insignificant. However, when it comes to pertinent issues, such as the current presidential election, I am more cautious on what I believe. For news on current events, I tend to trust major news stations such as CNN and Fox or reliable newspapers. However, even these sources are not 100% accurate. I put the most trust in people who were at the event or experienced what they are writing about first hand.
In Blur, Kovach and Rosenstiel suggest that our process of verification involves the basic elements of who, what, when, why, where and how. Because we ask these questions, journalism, for them, has become a dialogue. I agree with news and information being a dialogue because of our more recent reliance on the Internet and Social Media. The growing use of Twitter, Facebook, and online articles allows readers to give feedback and publish their own opinion. With the opportunity to share what you think of a new article or twitter post, discussions formulate among readers. I think that dialogue is created more between the readers rather than the author and the reader.
In our world today, I think it is safe to say that nearly everyone is hungry for new information. Because of our desire to know everything that is happening at every second, we tend to push aside the importance of knowing whether information is true or not. But, how can we ever know what is truly fact? No matter where we get our information, I think there will always be some play of personal opinion in the article. I think the main concern for journalism today is accuracy. I believe that news lacks a lot of facts, and in order for journalism to better grow, this needs to be a main concern.
molly grosdidier 