Digital communication technology, particularly blogs and
social media, have provided a platform for average, everyday individuals to
share their stories or advocate for causes. Before the advent of the internet,
activists were only able to share their messages with national audiences when
they received attention from the traditional media (Häussler, 2021). Now,
anyone with a Twitter account can use it as a virtual megaphone to blast their thoughts
and opinions on any subject. While this can be beneficial to the flow of
information among citizens, it brings a variety of issues professional
journalists must tackle.
One benefit to the accessibility of online journalism is the
opportunity for activists and community organizers to utilize digital
communications to push for societal change. The civil rights movement, women’s
suffrage, and LGTBQ pride all achieved great strides for human rights thanks to
organizers and activists. Today’s generation marching for climate action, gun
control, and Black Lives Matter have the advantage of being able to network and
organize with one another from across the country as well as engage directly
with the public (Häussler, 2021). Journalists covering these stories are able
to connect with key players of the movements to get their perspectives and
information much faster than they could before.
A major drawback, however, is the opportunity for
misinformation to spread at breakneck speed. Like a massive game of telephone,
stories are shared user-to-user and become more distorted in each retelling. Well-meaning
amateur (or even professional) journalists can spread false information when
they fail to check sources or assume that the source was reliable. One mistake by a reporter on Twitter can spiral out of control making it hard to correct the error. This issue requires members of the media to be educated in the spread of misinformation, how to spot it, and how to address it. Training journalists to be on the front lines in the battle against "fake news" is a key strategy to minimize misinformation and the harm it can cause.
Reference:
Häussler, T. (2021). Civil society, the media and the Internet: changing roles and challenging authorities in digital political communication ecologies. Information, Communication & Society, 24(9), 1265-12582. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1697338
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