Communicators & Audiences in a Fake News World

Mass media has evolved with the inclusion of technological advancements. With these advancements, our culture has adapted to having constant and immediate access to information. However, with this positive outcome, global audiences have sometimes been exposed to misinformation or as our culture would call it, “fake news”, “Half of Americans believe made-up news and misinformation is a very big problem for the country today, making it a pressing problem for more Americans than said so of terrorism, illegal immigration, sexism, and racism, according to a 2019 survey.” (Auxier, 2019). 

As information continues to be published at rapid rates our culture is accustomed to consuming this news at the same rate. Because of these rapid rates, the news is not always entirely accurate due to supply and demand, missing/building stories or information, and propaganda. Today, communicators are expected to hold a high standard when engaging with audiences, “Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” (Society of Professional Journalists, 2014).  However, these standards are not always possible due to our constant communications with audiences and their need for information. This is why it is extremely crucial for communicators to reeducate and fine-tune their craft. This can always be said for social media users as well. Taking time to educate oneself on media literacy and how to identify questionable news/information can help audiences and communicators. Below is a video that can assist one in making knowledgable choices.

References

Auxier, B. (2019, December 20). 10 tech-related trends that shaped the decade. Retrieved March 5, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/20/10-tech-related-trends-that-shaped-the-decade/

Society of Professional Journalists. (2014, September 6). SPJ Code of Ethics - Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved March 5, 2020, from https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp