Report says Technology Narrows News Media's Focus

Technology was supposed to democratize journalism, not narrow the focus of news and limit the number of participatory voices. But that's exactly what's going on, according to a study titled the "State of the American News Media in 2008" authored by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Years ago newshounds dreamed of a democratized news front, with all stories given equal play by the introduction of more people expressing a rich diversity of perspectives and opinions on a huge range of topic – be it online or in print. What the Project for Excellence in Journalism found was instead news outlets have actually narrowed their focus.

Here are some startling numbers. The study looked at over 70,000 stories that appeared in newspapers, cable and network television channels, and on the radio. It found over one-third of those stories reported on the Iraq war and the U.S. presidential election.
U.S. domestic issues such as education, welfare, religion or labor, the report revealed each accounted for less than 1 percent of coverage.

When it comes to the Web's impact the study reveals both hope and what many might consider disappointment: "Even with so many new sources, more people now consume what old media newsrooms produce, particularly from print, than before. Online, for instance, the top 10 news Web sites, drawing mostly from old brands, are more of an oligarchy, commanding a larger share of audience, than in the legacy media."

The Great Online Hope: Citizen Journalism?

The report states: "The verdict on citizen media for now suggests limitations. And research shows blogs and public affairs Web sites attract a smaller audience than expected and are produced by people with even more elite backgrounds than journalists."

At the same time the report states: "Web sites run by citizen journalists are multiplying – rapidly approaching 1,500 heading into 2008 – offering stories, blogs and videos. And that trend is considered a healthy one by professional journalists, who call on citizens more frequently to inform their reporting."

A large distinction was made in the study between traditional news outlets and the "citizen news" brought on by the Web 2.0 generation. The report cites that the top stories on Digg, Reddit, and Del.icio.us varied greatly from the agenda of the mainstream media. When cable news was focusing on the immigration debate, at the same time the number one story on Digg was the release of the new iPhone.

The purpose of sites like Digg is to allow the people to determine what it is that they think qualifies as news. Is it really fair to call bloggers “non-journalists” if they are being credited with 40 percent of what people consider news? The State of the News Media 2008 report states that the democratization of news media hasn’t occurred, but I would disagree.

What could be more democratic than people choosing what they think is worthy of being called news? More voices are being heard, and more perspectives are being shown, you just have to look in the right place. The mainstream media might have narrowed its focus, but community news sites are picking up the mainstream media's slack.

Comments

Post a comment Post a comment

0 / 1000 max characters