A friend used to say something to the effect of, that as sources, digitally-based media outlets couldn’t be: 1) trusted, seen as reliable; 2) viewed as authentic; or 3) taken seriously. Keep in mind that this was at a time when the catch-phrase “fake news” was even a part of the everyday lexicon. I don’t know why this person — a close friend — harbored such thoughts, because, personally, for me, I haven’t found that to be the case at all.
What I will commit to saying, however, is that the digital-media ecosystem, platform, space, call it what you will, was never completely free of bias. I could see this bias coming through in so-called “objective” reporting, in some instances. Upfront, I want to be clear about that.
In the beginning…
When I first became aware of the Internet, I didn’t know what I would ever use it for. At the time, neither did I understand its potential nor its value. I was probably like many folks in that regard.
I remember, for the longest time, what felt like seemingly forever, my family was hardcopy newspaper subscribers, that is, until we weren’t. There was a time when I stopped reading the hardcopy print version and got all of my news from either online sources or by way of watching tv. It was a brave new world.
So, what I’ve noticed with the evolution or progression of the cyberspace revolution and the online media space in particular, such “revolutionized” how consumers were getting their information.
At first, I, especially, was skeptical of the quality of online reporting, or even online sources, for that matter. Though the more practiced in the Internet’s use I had become, the more I could see how potentially a valuable tool the World Wide Web was.
That’s Progress!
Before too long, I began noticing that regarding in-print errors that were made on the hardcopy printed page, these in the online versions could be easily rectified, the text correspondingly adjustment, usually accompanied by qualifying statements placed somewhere on the page itself, that the text in question, had correspondingly been adjusted.
I also noticed rather quickly that comments or even letters to the editor in some circumstances could be posted much more expeditiously on the online version that what was par for the course in submitting the same as it has to do with the publishing of such in the hardcopy version.
I became relatively fast aware also that reporters, seasoned or otherwise, left and right were losing their jobs. Some newspapers or entire media companies shut down, stopped the presses, as it were. The time that seemed to be most pronounced was during the Great Recession. It seemed like such were scrambling to find and secure work with whatever existing outlet they could. The competition, though, for any available spots, was fierce. This drove a whole wave of entrepreneurial creativity. This is evident in the uptick in the presence in the cyberspace ecosystem in online media activity.
Kudos
I gotta tell you. I love the digital space! It’s like having an entirely library of reference/resource material at one’s practically immediate disposal.
And, with that, I would just like to take the opportunity at this time to extend my thanks for such accessible/available capability as well as to all those who made any and all of this possible. Thank you. And, not to mention, to express praise to all of the positive work that has been done and positive energy that has been devoted and expended in so doing!
Please, keep more of the same coming, and, for another three decades, this being my one, my only request at this time.
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