The other day I read an article on CNN about the Fars News Agency in Iran publishing a story that a Gallup poll found that rural white Americans prefer Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over President Barack Obama. The source of the story–The Onion, a news satire organization known for creating outlandish stories and presenting them as real news.
Funny, right? This lack of fact-checking, however, is an example of why traditional news in the U.S. has slowly lost its edge.
I realized that I find it difficult to trust many of our news organizations and, not surprisingly, so do a lot of other people. This is why many, including myself, have turned to social media.
There has been a decline in the credibility ratings of major news organizations over the past decade.
Courtesy of www.people-press.org
The Pew Research Center has determined that nine of 13 organizations have seen a double-digit drop in ratings since 2002. These include national newspapers like the New York Times and USA Today, cable news outlets, broadcast TV networks and NPR.
Courtesy of www.people-press.org
Social media has changed the way we receive news, however, the question remains on whether or not to rely on these networks as a credible news outlet.
A feature in New York Women in Communications site states that perhaps we should stop looking at traditional media and social media as two separate entities. That both, despite their differences, “should work together for the common goal of spreading the news” fairly and accurate.
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