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All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

thewalrus.ca

51–60 of 110 posts

Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#51
post #17

The major problem I've observed is that the most important topic is politics - ie, what should we do next? The world of journalists is nearly the last place on earth people should be looking for political information. There are lies, few serious attempts at understanding the views of opponents, disinterest in the implications of the policies expounded and not even straightforward reporting of what people actually sai…

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Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#52
post #17

The major problem I've observed is that the most important topic is politics - ie, what should we do next? The world of journalists is nearly the last place on earth people should be looking for political information. There are lies, few serious attempts at understanding the views of opponents, disinterest in the implications of the policies expounded and not even straightforward reporting of what people actually sai…

I couldn't agree more - and after all the misdirection, I'm rather looking forward to finding commentators of integrity once again. And I think the search for honest commentary will be part of the pleasure of restoring our trust in one another once again.

Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is your evidence for this claim?

Whenever anyone correctly observed that buzzfeed has made the internet worse, someone always comes galloping in on their white horse with the meme “but buzzfeed news is a real serious outlet!” This has always been its purpose. It exists for the same reason the BP and Exxon have nominal investments in “clean energy”. The same reason that Koch industries donates to the arts. They’re paying for indulgences and the HN we…

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Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#54
post #17

The major problem I've observed is that the most important topic is politics - ie, what should we do next? The world of journalists is nearly the last place on earth people should be looking for political information. There are lies, few serious attempts at understanding the views of opponents, disinterest in the implications of the policies expounded and not even straightforward reporting of what people actually sai…

> A major problem that the journalists face is that we live in an era where any person with a microphone can broadcast their opinion, and it turns out the thoughtful intelligent and intellectually honest types don't work in media outlets. People are going to start organising to listen to people of higher quality than journalists.

Have to disagree with your last sentence there - from what I've seen, people in general want drama and someone to echo their existing opinions back at them. This is partly why there is so much poor quality journalism - that's what sells best, so that's where most of the money is.

What we need is quality journalism (which does or at least did exist - I believe The Boston Globe have a strong history of that for example) but I fear what we'll get is any person with a microphone broadcasting their opinion, which means more demagogues and other shouty idiots spouting half truths. I mean, that's what we have already tbh so I don't see things changing for the better in the vacuum left behind by traditional media outlets.

Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Proving more the degradation in the quality of the Pulitzer than anything else

What do you think Buzzfeed News is exactly? Edit since people are flagging this: It’s incredible how the right amount of cynicism can drive you to be utterly blind to the benefits certain things have. Be those high quality news reports, or curing polio. And blind to their structure. Such as, for example and regardless of the organisation’s name, different people working at Buzzfeed News and Buzzfeed. Or Microsoft and…

It is like Bill Gates' philanthropy.

Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you on about? I have to link to external websites from mine? Lost the plot on this one.

Facebook, Twitter, Elon etc have said external links rank more poorly in the algorithm. That is why facebook is rampant with people stealing others videos and reposting it on the platform.

There is nothing wrong with this. They get to moderate what’s on their website.

If I don’t want X on my website, I can downrank it. Doesn’t matter if that thing is “hate speech”, “porn”, “links to other websites”, “off-topic comments”

Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#59
post #17

The major problem I've observed is that the most important topic is politics - ie, what should we do next? The world of journalists is nearly the last place on earth people should be looking for political information. There are lies, few serious attempts at understanding the views of opponents, disinterest in the implications of the policies expounded and not even straightforward reporting of what people actually sai…

Journalists are supposed to investigate, podcasters are supposed to have an opinion about the news, but not investigate itself. That's why the article says that journalism as a profession is dead.

Re: All the exciting media outlets are dying – what comes next?

#60
post #6

A big factor in the decline of internet media companies that nobody talks about—every single dominant social platform (except this one) now aggressively penalizes external links in their algorithms. This should be illegal for any dominant platform IMO, external links are the lifeblood of a free and open internet. They are the only release valve from the walled gardens the inevitably result from human power-law cluste…

What do you mean no one talks about it? The media itself (and occasionally even the United States government) were taking about it a lot as they lamented the rise of Fake News and the election of Donald Trump. They asked for it, and suggested if they didn’t get it there might be heavy handed regulation. Facebook gave it to them.

A sample.

"What Facebook Did to American Democracy" — The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/10/what-...

"Facebook Has Been a Disaster for the World" — The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/opinion/facebook-democrac...

"Mark Zuckerberg Has Set Our Democracy on Fire" — The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/zuckerberg-facebo...

"Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before It Breaks Democracy?" — The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/17/can-mark-zucke...

"Facebook harms children and weakens democracy: ex-employee" — BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58805965

“Fighting Digital Disinformation” - Warren for Senate https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/fighting-digital-disinform...

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