4 ms·
Since you've worked in journalism, I had a question for you that I've been wondering about for a while. Do you believe that journalistic standards have fallen
by potatolicious 14y ago
Since you've worked in journalism, I had a question for you that I've been wondering about for a while.
Do you believe that journalistic standards have fallen over time in general, or is the latest rash of horrifically irresponsible reporting the actions of a few bad players, or has journalism always been this bad, and I'm just seeing the past through rose-tinted glasses?
I seem to remember a time when journalism was treated as a serious craft with serious responsibilities and obligations. Now every asshole with a Twitter account and a blog purports to "report" without assuming any of the responsibilities that come with journalism, including fact checking.
- jspthrowaway2 14y agoYou nailed it toward the end. Journalism is struggling to catch up with instantness, and bloggers have muscled in and dirtied the field; the current decline, I think, started with 24-hour cable news and was only accelerated by the Internet. News channels airing opinion -- MSNBC, Fox News -- is also troublesome. It's not entirely journalism's fault, either, as culturally we have begun to demand instant gratification and journalism responds as the market expects. Same with entertainment news. As Aaron Sorkin wrote, there is a debate between ratings driving content or content driving ratings -- sadly, too often, the former holds true.