In the new age, social media has become an extremely popular and convenient way of communication. All generations are very active on social media and often it becomes the choice of receiving and seeking information, as news is circulating widely. There is a group of people who believe that news channels will soon be obsolete. However, there are significant drawbacks when social media is used to inform citizens about the news from around the globe.
The root of the problem lies in the fact that advancement in technology has led to the easy availability of smartphones in most households, leading to overconsumption of social media such as Whatsapp and Facebook. While they are great mediums for staying connected with friends and family from various corners of the world, they become a source of misinformation that is widely circulated at the click of a button without fact checks. These news bites are often posts written by certain, irresponsible people who use the media to share their opinions. This can lead to widespread rumors, which can be a threat to national security if not controlled.
On the other hand, news channels have been run by professionals since the olden days, and continue to embody ethics and share a responsibility to share authentic information with the citizens of any nation. The journalists publish their work only after thorough research and verification of facts and news gathered from multiple resources, making it safe for people to be informed. For instance, during the Covid pandemic, while WhatsApp continued to share fake news about the severity of the disease, and unverified information about home management, the news channels ensured that the people were informed about the crucial decisions taken by the government towards its citizens’ safety and health and kept publishing news about the advancement of research towards developing a vaccine.
Thus, in my opinion, news channels will continue to play a key role in building an educated and well-informed nation and can never replace the ever-changing social media.