Modern Media: It has Good Bones

 

We have to admit. The ability to connect anywhere in the world on a variety of different devices is different than even five years ago. News consumption, streaming television and social media are among the many ways we consume content. Modern media has good bones, but there are some aspects of it that could use an upgrade.

Ethical Standards in a Global Market

News and media were more localized and national even a decade go. Global media and news knows no boundaries. Digital content crosses all boarders. This is excellent in that we have news ways to learn about events, cultures, and so on. However, our ethical standards media and journalism have not kept up to technologies pace. Journalists have a new responsibility in global media.

"Our media-connected world brings together a plurality of different religions, traditions, and groups with varying political agendas, social ideals, and conceptions of  "the good." Media content deemed offensive by certain groups can spark not just domestic unrest and even violence but global tension." -Stephan J.A. Ward, Fall 2012

This is not a quick fix. Some think it will never be possible. Yet ignoring this can wreak havoc on our globally connected world. Stephan J.A. Ward, explains the possibility in three stages:

Stage 1: Injecting ideas into discourse

Widening our ethical attitudes by placing conversations on global ethics in conferences, media institutes, on television/radio, and in curriculum at all levels.

Stage 2: Codifying the principles

Create a core set of aims and principles that overlap between international news organizations. Not everyone will adopt the principles, but the hope is that media will accept the need for global ethics.

Stage 3: Completion of the ethics revolution

This stage comes much further down the road with the hope that the principles are clearly define and received by others.

Limit the Spread of Fake News

© The Public Domain Review

The technology available has made it easy to spread fake news. In fact, fake news is spread, by humans, 70% faster than truthful news. That's scary. But it is becoming harder to decipher what is real and what is fake. More often than not, people are consuming their news on mobile devices. As of January 2021, 86% of U.S. adults get most of their news from a smartphone, computer or tablet.

Conversations around the need for social media to note false information have increased since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mobile users could benefit from a tool that would flag and state the reliability of a source.

Is there an easy solution to point out the validity of content posted? No. Until we figure out a solution, it is important for users to educate themselves and check the source of a post before sharing it.