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In an increasingly partisan media environment, do you believe journalists have lower ethical standards than in the days before social media?

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Certainly those on the right do. I can't think of any I trust. Maybe because I see MSM. Those of a more "independent-thinking" persuasion may be able to point me to the trusted rightist media they always seem to indicate exists but never actually name.

-6 ( +10 / -16 )

I find both Left and Right as completely biased and unreliable. I find the only way to get the full picture and assess the facts on my own are to read 4 or 5 different sources and try and filter the unadulterated facts.

Journalism is terrible, probably always has been but it really is objectively bad now.

13 ( +18 / -5 )

Certainly those on the right do.

Interesting!

Now I have been left leaning all my life.

I noticed the right has remained right that is what they are.

But I noticed the centre has gone left and the left gone even farther left to the point I can't agree with 90% of what they say.

Just look at Trump he is a fool a joke 90% of the time.

Classified documents found in his home, the left went on a rampage.

Now we find a similar thing with Biden in his home eve8a "former" office with classified documents right back to his days as VP.

But the previously centre news says very little the left nothing now I expect that from the left it the previously centre went crazy over Trump doing but next to nothing when Biden does it.

It seems far more the centre bowing to the left because the left will cancel them, the left is far more likely to force ending free speech, just look at Canada and Europe and the media has been force into compliance primarily by the left.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Lack of fact-checking to ensure the accuracy of a story. Influences from social media. More competition for stories with social media and blogs. Everyone can be a citizen journalist.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

yes many.

when there is lack of education and missing common sense while many lies are published just to reach goal of propaganda pushed through.

we can that degradation at daily basis.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Newspapers in the UK are owned and run to favour specific interests and have always been partial in the extreme. Social media hasn't changed them.

There are far fewer journalists in paid employment than there used to be and fewer local newspapers. That will have an effect on the quality of news, as there is less expertise in the system.

There has been an increase in Think Tanks masquerading as centres of expertise, each with their own political agendas.

The rise of social media has spurred governments to find new and ingenious ways of manipulating the public, such as the British government's Nudge Unit. The level of manipulation and government control of news has risen noticeably since the pandemic to Chinese levels, with dissenting opinions now attacked as 'fake news', misinformation or disinformation. The rise of 'government scientists' as official sources of 'correct' science is worrying the academic world as the freedom to offer dissenting opinions has always been a fundamental part of reputable science.

We have probably reached a point where we realise that we cannot trust any source of news, and are all simply filtering everything we read to try to sort out the propaganda and spin from the facts. That may be a good thing, as news has always been spun, agenda-based and salted with propaganda. At least we should all now recognise that.

15 ( +16 / -1 )

Canada and Europe and the media has been force into compliance primarily by the left.

I don't know how it is in Canada but this is probably fantasy for the whole of Europe. I know of no mainstream media that has been "forced into compliance" by the left, and even if I did, it would only represent a tiny fraction of the media of the countries of Europe, most of whose languages I have no idea about.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

I know of no mainstream media that has been "forced into compliance" by the left,

Really? Try using certain pronouns, ever hear of "deadnaming" express certain political or religious beliefs ( I am atheist but I may not agree but they have their rights).

It is now illegal, or will trigger a "review" of the licensing of the organization or individual.

I may not agree with people like Jordan Peterson but look at Canada he is being censured using professional licensing for political views on twitter, not in his practice.

This has been a thing in the media for a decade now, say something and get "reviewed" remember MSM are licensed by the states in every European country, step out of line and license can be revoked.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Canada and Europe and the media has been force into compliance primarily by the left.

Canadians are pretty left overall. There isn't any forcing - the Canadian media is a product of Canadians, reporting on things in a Canadian way.

-8 ( +5 / -13 )

if journalists and news agencies truly claim that they are impartial and are bringing the unfiltered and raw version of the news, then they shouldn't cherry pick current events for the views. American media is guilty of this, they ask loaded questions to they people they interview and never give them proper respect when asked to answer something.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Well, since you seem to be knowledgeable about European media, Antiquesavings, then please give me an example of how they are forced into compliance and how this affects ethical standards. Obviously enough examples to make it a clear thing would be even better. Just because a loudmouth like Jordan Peterson gets a bit of pushback in Canada doesn't mean it is general thing. Most media is largely supportive of the status quo, and that is what I see. There is, apparently, a whole bunch of secret, true media which some are privy to but they never let on where it is.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Jordan Peterson gets a bit of pushback in Canada doesn't mean it is general thing.

Perhaps you need to look things up on your own.

"Reeducation" is something we heard in the Soviet Union and heat in China. But now it is in Canada Peterson is being ordered to be rededicated!

That isn't a " but of pushback "!

And where is the MSM on this?

Dead silent except the right.

Demonstrations in Europe over everything from food prices to fuel prices!

Again only "right " new saying anything, the few others bury it in the back pages.

Yemen a war for several years, hundreds of thousands killed 15,000 children no power no water no food, but again buried far in the bottom or not covered at all only the one single war counts the one the governments want you to know about.

Homelessness up 150% in Germany in 10 years food prices up 21% now if this news?,

Nope and if it is, it will be small print back pages. but boy Greta Thunberg shows her welfare state supported face in Germany to protest coal Front page news.

Hundreds of these examples where the evidence of bad policies or policies that hurt the people are ignored because supporting the far left narrative is more important.

The majority of the people are to busy working, taking care of their families, trying to survive pay taxes and the activists on the dole are the ones that clutter the social media and pressure news and government far above their numbers.

Again I am left but I have to admit in know far more left than right (by percentage) that do not work but are "artists" or are "finding themselves" or " campaigning for the future and the environment".

While the right people I know but rarely agree with are nearly all working too busy paying taxes that support The left I know not working.

And this immense amount of free time by these left people I know is spent pushing their political agenda that includes to the news corporations and the government.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Yes! Nowhere else it is best displayed than here!

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Strangerland

Today 11:02 am JST

Canada and Europe and the media has been force into compliance primarily by the left.

> Canadians are pretty left overall. There isn't any forcing - the Canadian media is a product of Canadians, reporting on things in a Canadian way.

Sorry not anymore, the licensing is now used as a weapon to control the news.

Look at CBC, non stop on minority issues but rarely on Asian.

Ask Canadians what percentage of the population is black most think 10% or around that but in reality it is just under 3% so why do people think it is more? Well look at CBC the answer is very clear.

The present government knows Asians tend to be very middle ground more liberal in certain groups but they do not support the more leftists ideas and for that the villainization a certain Asian groups has been popular among the left!

The left the media including CBC makes it look like foreigners buying land in Canada is the problem AKA Chinese.

In reality the simple fact is 300,000 to 500,000 new immigrants every year and a limited construction. Means simply put Canada cannot build enough houses fast enough for the people arriving let alone the people already there.

But this part is unpopular to say for the far left so blame money blame A less likely to vote for left policies the Chinese!

Now does CBC report that no CBC tows the government line and CTV has come under scrutiny when it straight too far right for the government's and The leftist view.

Canada once was middle ground but look at Alberta today why did it enact the sovereignty issue it has?

It used to be just Quebec talking about separation and sovereignty.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Journalism is usually a profit-motivated industry. It has nothing much to do with telling the truth. Journalists are manipulators who would be quite at home in public relations or advertising or any other lying industry. What sells is winding people up. It works too. Since profit is the motivator, media is generally pro-capitalist. And that is what I see. It likes to wind up the peons so they bicker with each other and don't turn attention to the real causes of distress. Why would they highlight the severe drawbacks of capitalism? People imagine that support here and there in a few left-leaning articles for social justice issues is Marxist but the overall effect is to take people's eye off the ball of severe economic disparities. And this is caused by the insidious hold over governments that corporations, the rich and their henchmen have. This is mostly what severely skews the ethics/truth of journalists.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Journalism is usually a profit-motivated industry.

But you keep ignoring the elephant in the room.

Government licensing!

Nearly every country control the licensing.

Refuse to follow refuse to tow the line, your broadcast license can be revoked.

If it is state funded then kids funding goodbye.

Journalist credentials are also more often than not under government control, upset the powers an now you are just a "citizen journalist" and in most countries not accorded the same protections as accredited journalist.

"Freedom" look at the "approval" process.

A corporation cannot just buy a radio, tv station or a newspaper, etc.. no no no the government must approve the purchase, now that is power say the wrong thing no approval.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

Strangeland

TV and radio require government licenses but not newspapers or online productions. Journalists work for newspapers. Reporters work for TV and radio.

Anyone can produce a newspaper.

Anyone can start a publishing company.

News is only a part of most TV channels unless like CNN or Fox.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

GBR48 - very on point post.

I'll second that. I personally don't feel that social media has raised nor lowered the standards. I think journalists do what they have always done which is to push a narrative. Social media has paved the way for more independent thought, but that too is a double-edged sword.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The ability of journalists to report freely on matters of public interest is a crucial indicator of democracy.

Freedom House

https://freedomhouse.org/issues/media-freedom

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I have helped publish and print many newspapers and books and wrote many articles published by the media. One company won an award for my story. No license is required. No contact with the government is required.

We also made pirate radio stations but that is another story.

Today, there are many citizen news outlets. There are several citizen reporters on this site.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Before the internet, we had offset printing.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Social media has paved the way for more independent thought, but that too is a double-edged sword.

You mean like government censorship as Canada and Europe are now doing?

Governments could always use regulations to put restrictions on most media.

But now with laws like C-16 disguised as equality or protection being used to enforce things like pronouns and forced acceptance of things you may disagree with.

So deadnaming or not using someone's "preferred pronoun" you as an individual on social media or as a "citizen journalist " can find yourself in the docks.

Now as someone here will undoubtedly google, C-16 does not say anything about pronouns specifically no it is written in a very broad way leaving interpretation to courts and tribunals.

Thus why Jordan Peterson can be threatened by a government regulated group for public tweets on personal political views.

We are now more and more required to conform to what the government tells us.

Which is funny because so many foreigners in Japan say the Japanese all follow rules without question, but it is the western countries minus the USA that are more likely to impose conditions of your freedom of speech and those of journalists included.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

You mean like government censorship as Canada and Europe are now doing?

Governments could always use regulations to put restrictions on most media.

I think you just answered your own question here. I get it and I agree with you. The woke movement is strong now, but I personally think it's a silly phenomenon that's going to fade away soon. I don't see that as the new normal.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

The poll is not specifically about any single country.

There are many citizen journalists in Canada and Japan. These days, they are very available in many African countries.

So many people now have smartphones and are often on the spot when a major event is happening. The news can available even before MSM picked up a phone. Some news outlets now paid people to submit videos.

Citizen journalism is a bee hive of activity.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

In the 1960s and 1970's we had a community printing and publishing company that published and printed a wide range of newspapers and books.

All on the issues of the day. Offset printing created the opportunity for people to print.

I still write for some outlets. But these days mostly translations.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Seigi

Let me agree with you.

When knowledge of facts is replaced by term "off topic".When education and life experience is replaced by instructions from bosses how to write,what to write and what to not allow to be published.When there are no arguments to support their "facts" and replacing all by some googling or wikipedia.

Impossibility to think different way that prowestern proUS way as all world is equal to USA and G7,when west saying to others what to do,how to live,what to think.

When critical thinking is missing and someone believes that readers will just consume one sided propaganda without any issues/problems,verifications,looking at other sources as thinking "may hurt".

LGBT agenda,global warming agenda,covid agenda,antirussian and antichinese propaganda,one sided "news" about Ukraine when "other opinion" than official one is not allowed and is all the "off topic".Just to mention a few.

Dont need to mention open censorship under terms of "fact checking" or "moderation of comments".

2 ( +5 / -3 )

The loss of local newspapers is sad. News can be on a local level, national level, or international level.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

It that like the numerous posts you made on Japanese knives being the expert you are.

In the 1960s in the UK, there was a massive youth culture movement with many born during the war or just after it. The counter-culture rose from the ashes of war and music played a very big part in it. Many previous lifestyles were rejected.

It also happened across the USA with SF and then the Woodstock Fest. Organic foods and a very different lifestyle. Organic shops and restaurants, outdoor fests like at Stonehenge. Pirate radio was put on ships offshore beyond the reach of the government. Community printing shops and screen printing shops.

Then came. the anti-nuclear movement like CND. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.

Many of the mags and newspapers I printed have survived to this day. Like Timeout which was a few sheets in the beginning.

Offset printing was a powerful tool. You only needed a typewriter and a press.

There was a cooperative movement for work and housing.

There was much news and info to get out.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Which countries require a government license for producing a newspaper?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

The Five Most Radical Underground Publications of the 1960s

https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10035/the-five-most-radical-underground-publications-of-the-1960s

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The "Left" has influence only with liberal elements of the educated, which is why Trump and other rightwing demagogues love the uneducated, many of whom are easy prey for the rightwing MSM and social media trolls to gaslight and herd into the fascist fold. Demonizing the political left is as American as apple pie, the proof being in the orange pudding served up as a substitute for policy that is giving American democracy the hiccups and a serious case of indigestion.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

MumbaiRocks!

Today 04:10 pm JST

Most of our news comes from AI. This is the beginning of the end unless we fight back

Not here, it comes from Google via Wa.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

The "Left" has influence only with liberal elements of the educated

Lol! The modesty of the left is unparalleled! Trump's words mean he likes what the left used to hail as the working class. Now they despise the working class, though I would argue that the liberals and left are mostly neither these days. And the "educated" are mostly not that either.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

The American working class abandoned its leftist dreams after returning from WW2 in return for a bigger slice of the American Dream which came to an end in the wake of Vietnam. Since then the hearts and minds of blue-collar Americans have been captured by the siren sounds and gaslighting of the rightwing MSM, Tinseltown values and the corrupt duopoly responsible for today's collapse of commonsense politics.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Many younger people seek their news from different sources than their parents which usually means an online source. There are millions of citizen journalists, bloggers, podcasters, and YouTubers. Many are very good and many others are full of negative content or conspiracies. Sometimes dangerous info.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

This is not "journalists" fault. Journalists do not decide editorial policy. Owners do that. In state broadcasters' case (the BBC, NHK etc), the government does it. For people getting news online, algorithms will increasing decide what people get to see, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok etc.

fwiw, I find the BBC completely unwatchable now. They put questions to ministers but allow them to give a completely different and irrelevant answers. This never used to happen. It is not normal. The BBC also frequently platforms think tanks to promote extreme positions without saying who is funding them. It was those think tanks that pushed the policies implemented in the Liz Truss mini budget, which collapsed her government in six weeks and cost the country an estimated 70 Billion GBP (i.e., much more than any strikes or asylum seekers). It is doubtful whether the government could have taken such a dangerous move without such crazy economic ideas first being normalized through the media.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@ kohakuebisu

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Too bad your analysis of the present state of the MSM will go over the heads of the gaslit millions living lives of quiet desperation. Btw, it's amazing how obtuse folks are, those who pretend that in money-driven societies like the USA/UK people who want to "get on" and accumulate wealth, honors and fame will go the "left", less traveled career path thus inexplicably accounting for the "pervasive influence" of the Left, antifa, marxists and communists undermining society, an absurd, "Big Lie" constantly mouthed by a desperately aggrieved, vengeful Right reeling on the ropes in their one-sided contest for power and legitimacy.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Anyone who imagines that governments are not controlled on the whole in the interests of and by the richest members of society in large parts of the "free world" and that vast parts of the media is not simply their propaganda wing is deluded. It's so blatantly obvious. Thus, on the whole, you will mostly hear support for capitalism, and that is promoted by the right, almost by definition. Give me some rightist media that is anti-capitalist. Or any media, for that matter. There might be some discussion on the margins but capitalism is a fait accompli. To pander to this ridiculous ideology, journalists will lie through their teeth.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The media allowing Democrats to push them around, telling them which stories to run and which ones to censor (e.g. the Hunter Biden laptop story) is just one example of that. One of gazillions of examples.

Unlike people like Trump, who encourages his acolytes to literally push, punch and kick the media around. And then promises to pay the legal fees.

Maybe the media are more sympathetic to the Democrats because they aren't as violent towards them as the Republicans.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Media is whats wrong with everything today and politicians use it to their advantage!! This is why people are so disillusioned and dumb down and can't rationalize. At first it was, if you heard in on the radio in the old days it was true, when television came along if you say you saw something on tv news it was true, with social media because its there take it and run with it, because you can't hear the words, you just accept it for what ever it is. **I will go off base a little here, For example* the Radio Broadcast the War of the Worlds. On Sunday, October 30, 1938, millions of radio listeners were shocked when radio news alerts announced the arrival of Martians. They panicked when they learned of the Martians' ferocious and seemingly unstoppable attack on Earth. Many ran out of their homes screaming while others packed up their cars and fled.*

*Though what the radio listeners heard was a portion of Orson Welles' adaptation of the well-known book, War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, *many of the listeners believed what they heard on the radio was real.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Facebook and Instagram have been a cancer on society in general. Period.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Facebook and Instagram have been a cancer on society in general.

Facebook and Instagram are not journalists.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Ethical journalist ??? Never bite the hand that feeds them !

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Anyone who imagines that governments are not controlled on the whole in the interests of and by the richest members of society in large parts of the "free world" and that vast parts of the media is not simply their propaganda wing is deluded. It's so blatantly obvious

Oh yes! This hits the spot big time. As the saying goes, it's easier to foresee the end of the world than the end of capitalism. This is due to the "Overton window", the range of topics where debate is seen as acceptable or realistic. If you control that (Chomsky/Hermann's "Manufacturing Consent" etc) you control everything. All you have to do to subjugate the public is to dismiss any ideas you don't like as unrealistic, radical or extremist. Just don't give them any air time. The Overton window now includes people already working full time having to depend on charity for food and having no or increasingly paltry healthcare. Basic stuff right at the bottom of the ol' hierarchy of needs pyramid.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Antiquesaving, kudos to you. I think you have given an honest appraisal of media bias and government interference, and are clearly one of the few reasonable moderate left-leaning people on this forum.

I'm unashamedly right-leaning, but have way more respect for left-leaning journos like Glen Greenwald and Greg Palast than Fox News, etc. At least they make a genuine effort to be objective, although Palast probably flies his colours a bit more clearly than Greenwald. Palast did some great work exposing the Bush administration and Enron back in the day.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Not sure how far left the left has drifted. Bernie is a centrist. Politics in the US has shifted quite far to the right. I couldn’t vote for Hilary even though we got Trump.

Neo Liberal policies, Big L Libertarian think tanks, and Neo Cons. And, Obama and Hillary. Biden’s the same.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Not sure how far left the left has drifted. Bernie is a centrist. Politics in the US has shifted quite far to the right.

Bernie is a leftist, the Democrats are centrists, and the GOP is far-right.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Not traditional print and broadcast journalists, for the most part. They're about the same.

But, online "journalists", if they can be called that, are just trolling for clicks. No standards at all, other than the quest for clicks.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

left and right journalists just say whatever their masters tell them to!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

At one time it was thought that the media should present the news "objectively, fairly and without bias." If that was ever the case it certainly is not now. Think about this for a minute - what is the first thing any authoritarian regime does in their lust for power? Whether they be the Nazis of Hitler's Germany, the Communist Party of China or North Korea or any other despotic regime that ever existed; they control the media.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I go to the foreign press for news about my own country (US) because I just don't trust the native news to deliver the full picture as opposed to a carefully-constructed narrative that suits a particular political agenda.

While political bias in the press used to manifest itself in HOW a story is told, very often now it's whether a story is even told or not. When an event of significance occurs, media outlets (especially the major newspapers like the NYTimes and the Washington Post) just outright ignore it if it might make their chosen side look bad.

The bias manifests itself in silence.

Journalists now fancy themselves activists. True journalism is mostly dead. They keep digging their holes deeper as people increasingly turn away, but they don't seem to get it. The narrative is more important to them than retaining customers.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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