![]() Challenges facing the digital media landscapeĪs the overall media landscape has changed, there have been several ominous developments. These developments have complicated the manner in which people hold leaders accountable and the way in which our political system operates. ![]() and around the world, there are questions concerning the quality of the information available to the general public and the impact of marginal media organizations on voter assessments. With the current political situation in a state of great flux in the U.S. This decline in public trust in media is dangerous for democracies. Even more disturbingly, “a solid majority of the country believes major news organizations routinely produce false information.” 8 Only 14 percent of Republicans believe the media report the news accurately, compared to 62 percent for Democrats. There is also a startling partisan divide in public assessments. A recent Gallup poll found that only 37 percent believe “news organizations generally get the facts straight.” This is down from about half of the country who felt that way in 1998. 2īetween news coverage they don’t like and fake news that is manipulative in nature, many Americans question the accuracy of their news. 1 When asked where they got online news in the last two hours, 36 percent named a news organization website or app 35 percent said social media (which typically means a post from a news organization, but can be a friend’s commentary) 20 percent recalled a search engine 15 percent indicated a news organization email, text, or alert 9 percent said it was another source and 7 percent named a family member email or text (see Figure 1). As of 2017, 93 percent of Americans say they receive news online. Checking for news online-whether through Google, Twitter, Facebook, major newspapers, or local media websites-has become ubiquitous, and smartphone alerts and mobile applications bring the latest developments to people instantaneously around the world. Through digital sources, there has been a tremendous increase in the reach of journalism, social media, and public engagement. The news media landscape has changed dramatically over the past decades. Finally, individuals should follow a diversity of news sources, and be skeptical of what they read and watch. Educational institutions should make informing people about news literacy a high priority. Technology companies should invest in tools that identify fake news, reduce financial incentives for those who profit from disinformation, and improve online accountability. The news industry must provide high-quality journalism in order to build public trust and correct fake news and disinformation without legitimizing them. Governments should promote news literacy and strong professional journalism in their societies. In order to maintain an open, democratic system, it is important that government, business, and consumers work together to solve these problems. Twitter news and sophisticated disinformation campaigns are especially problematic in democratic systems, and there is growing debate on how to address these issues without undermining the benefits of digital media.
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