2 ms·

> No individual journalist wants to be known for getting a story wrong, so incentives are pretty strong to begin with. I think in a lot of places this isn't ne

> No individual journalist wants to be known for getting a story wrong, so incentives are pretty strong to begin with. I think in a lot of places this isn't nearly as true as maybe it once was. The top selling newspapers in the UK pretty much habitually print anything that drives sales / their agenda and when they get a slap on the wrist they just print a minimal viable retraction. When that occasionally lands them in court they treat it basically as a cost of doing business.

conistonwater 7y ago
The top selling newspapers in the UK are tabloids though, rather than well-respected publications. I don't think that contradicts smt88's point.
- tristor 7y ago
  Well, at this point the NY Times is basically a tabloid too, so...
- pathseeker 7y ago
  smt88's point was that the industry has solved this problem, which is clearly wrong. He/she didn't say anything about "well-respected publications", whatever that even means these days.
- freeflight 7y ago
  > I don't think that contradicts smt88's point. Imho it perfectly contradicts the point, because the UK isn't alone with that issue, BILD is also a tabloid, the most circulated one in Germany. Of course, a lot of that hinges with the definition of "tabloid" [0] and how different Overton windows for these societies. For example, both UK and German tabloids heavily relied on "Page X" girls for their popularity. While the same in the US was it's very own niche with the Playboy, as selling sexuality that openly in the mainstream was always more controversial in the US compared to Europe. But US outlets also ain't above sensationalized headlines and leaving out a bit of context to justify them, some would argue that's something the US actually championeered with the marketing industry. It's the same with the public shaming and privacy of people; In Europe, that's considered a very tabloid thing to do, meanwhile, in the US it's often standard to show uncensored pictures of people with their full names. Does that really help to surface the truth? Or is it merely just another manifestation of the flaws of the "free market" at work? If the market only wants what sells best, and not what's actually true, what's the most likely outcome? [0] https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/top-15-daily-american-newspapers/ https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/top-15...

conistonwater 7y ago

The top selling newspapers in the UK are tabloids though, rather than well-respected publications. I don't think that contradicts smt88's point.

tristor 7y ago
Well, at this point the NY Times is basically a tabloid too, so...
pathseeker 7y ago
smt88's point was that the industry has solved this problem, which is clearly wrong. He/she didn't say anything about "well-respected publications", whatever that even means these days.
freeflight 7y ago
> I don't think that contradicts smt88's point. Imho it perfectly contradicts the point, because the UK isn't alone with that issue, BILD is also a tabloid, the most circulated one in Germany. Of course, a lot of that hinges with the definition of "tabloid" [0] and how different Overton windows for these societies. For example, both UK and German tabloids heavily relied on "Page X" girls for their popularity. While the same in the US was it's very own niche with the Playboy, as selling sexuality that openly in the mainstream was always more controversial in the US compared to Europe. But US outlets also ain't above sensationalized headlines and leaving out a bit of context to justify them, some would argue that's something the US actually championeered with the marketing industry. It's the same with the public shaming and privacy of people; In Europe, that's considered a very tabloid thing to do, meanwhile, in the US it's often standard to show uncensored pictures of people with their full names. Does that really help to surface the truth? Or is it merely just another manifestation of the flaws of the "free market" at work? If the market only wants what sells best, and not what's actually true, what's the most likely outcome? [0] https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/top-15-daily-american-newspapers/ https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/top-15...