Purely Piper

In the age of mass media, journalism is competing with many other entertainment sources therefore is facing new problems. News is actively competing with social media, entertainment platforms, and multimedia outlets for people’s attention. From citizen journalists to commentary-based films, people are finding new ways to receive their information.

As a young person, I absorb most of my news through social media. Whether through TikTok or television shows, I interpret current events in a way that differs from previous generations. I also believe that as a young person in a democratic society, I am especially aware of how the news can be influenced. These days the art of persuasion and perception is what differentiates each platform from the next. 

In an era of opposing radical sides, it is also difficult to understand what is true. This leads to public skepticism with the large news outlets. How is one to know what to trust when each station is heavily influenced by bias of political reporters? I believe this combined with the online accessibility of today’s society causes us to navigate away from traditional news. As discussed in Jon Wertheim’s segment on 60 Minutes, small stations are dying out and capital funds are taking over. 

Local news outlets are struggling to survive considering individuals are getting more news from online. Why would one pay for a subscription when most online platforms are free? Not to mention when many of the news outlets today are shaped by political bias, it is difficult to tell if the news we would be paying for would be unaffected. 

In the 60 Minutes segment, it was mentioned that “local news cannot become yesterday’s news.” I believe that while local newspapers are dying out, citizen journalists are on the rise. I see more influencers and locals taking the reporting into their own hands. After all the citizens are the ones experiencing these events, not necessarily the journalists. I would rather hear my news directly from the source, reducing a possibility of news bias. The level of accessibility to receive these communications and stories from social media rather than the local news has driven people away from traditional sources. When contemplating this topic, I continued to think how I don’t always seek out news, it comes to me. 

Diego Garcia Ramirez explores this relationship in his article, Journalism in the Attention Economy. He notes how news organizations and digital platforms are becoming more connected than ever before. Applications such as Google and Facebook are competing to tell the same stories as news outlets. The two mediums are more related than ever, and the best way to respond is to complement it.

So how does the journalism business model survive the attention economy of this younger generation? Journalists survive by adapting. By meeting Generation Z where they are, news outlets can remain relevant in this era. Whether it be uploading important stories or broadcasts on social media, keeping clips short to maintain attention, or adapting to the entertainment side of reporting, there are plenty of ways these organizations can grow with the times. Like any organization in the technology age, adapting and growing is the only way to survive in any industry. People want to hear stories from the experts, from pleasing visual sources, and ultimately from someone they trust and relate to. By building trust and rapport through technological communication, reporters can connect with the next generation and become a part of the story, rather than just the narrator.