Nowadays, the growing number of people switching from traditional media, such as TV programs and newspapers, to the internet to explore the world and stay informed is evident. I believe that such development is more nuanced than to cast it as overly positive or negative, and I will elaborate on my viewpoint further in the essay.
On one side of the argument, traditional media can provide the kind of reporting that is more reliable and time-tested in comparison to online alternatives. It is not a mystery that on the internet, social media influencers and online news accounts rarely explain their editing policies, since few consumers would spend 1-2 hours of their spare time reading them. While ostensibly reasonable from a commercial viewpoint, it significantly hinders the ability of news consumers to assess the credibility of the content they are offered and identify the affiliations between media outlets and other public actors whose agendas the former may promote. Moreover, without clear editorial policies, there is a high likelihood of mistakes in the reporting process.
On the other hand, legacy media can be too entrenched in the ideological and other affiliations that they have held for years. For instance, The Guardian is a prominent British news journal reporting on a range of topics, and was founded in the middle of the 19th century. It is largely left-leaning. Because of this, it is highly unlikely that this paper will report extensively on, for example, migrants’ crime rates or “the civilizational erosion of Europe” as it has been put recently by some of the right-wing politicians. Moreover, it is funded largely by like-minded readers and donors, which may limit the range of topics it prioritises.
Overall, in my opinion, getting news from the internet has its advantages and disadvantages. While the online space seems to be more democratic and oriented toward the average person, in some cases, it lacks crucial components that enable readers to hold newsrooms accountable and assess the credibility of the content they are given as “the truth”, such as editing policies and information about who owns the media.
In conclusion, the best way to offset the bad effects of consuming news exclusively from the internet or the gazettes is to combine different sources of information with various ideological orientations. By doing so, an ordinary person can access a range of different opinions on an interesting matter and come to their own conclusions, without restricting themselves to a single medium.