Expose:
The Insulting Attack on New Media
October 9, 2009 by Kyle BradyTags: BBC, Fox News, Glenn Beck, Michael Buerk, New Media, NPR, Old Media, PBS, Podcast, Rush Limbaugh
As required by the FTC, a Full Disclosure is available - this piece adheres to the Code of Ethics
It should come as no surprise then that as Old Media has stumbled and begun to fall, New Media has come under attack from those on their way down. Despite the animosity and vicious hatred prevalent within their group, there remains a few bastions of intelligence, serious journalism, and integrity – organizations such as NPR, the BBC, PBS, APM, and more have given hope to those that have despaired over news organizations' chosen interest in ratings and entertainment over truly informing or educating their audience.
Attacking New Media is not a new activity – the sneers and jeers started almost as soon as the ancestors of the modern tools appeared. The common thread among the complaints from so-called legitimate journalists include information verification methods, author credentials, "echo chamber" behaviors, hidden agendas, bias, and a litany of other issues related to ethics and professionalism, but it’s important to note that these very problems known to exist within portions New Media are in no way limited to blogging or podcasts – newspapers, “legitimate” journalists, and news stations have all fallen prey to the same symptoms that they’re complaining about, and not necessarily recently. As the financing of what used to be journalism dwindles, those still in Old Media have been forced to move faster and outside their realm of experience and knowledge, resulting in press release regurgitation, questionable data, and the parading of entertainment as news.
Many of these Old Media organizations have embraced the methodologies of New Media to garner new audiences, and have achieved great success in some cases, such as NPR. But regardless of their delivery mechanisms or digital behaviors, their greater budget, name recognition, and other epicurean characteristics does not give Old Media a licensed pulpit from which to preach – they should have to continually earn the trust and respect of their audience, the same as anyone else. This is something they truly do not believe.
The BBC recently revealed, in a very public manner, the bias Old Media holds against its newer rivals that has been known for years by those in New Media, but has largely been decried. Through a two-part documentary series investigating “citizen journalism” [Part 1] [Part 2], Michael Buerk leads a disgustingly insulting parade intended to smear his internet-based counterparts, using the recent Iran election protests as a focal point. Through a series of loaded questions, interview interruptions, and a other underhanded, classic propaganda techniques, Buerk manages to appear unbiased to those that don’t truly understand the breadth and scope of the situation. An unaware listener would, after listening to this "investigative" series, assume that New Media is less reliable, factual, and valuable than Old Media outlets such as the BBC - which, of course, is patently untrue. Ironically, both the BBC and Buerk declined to comment, by ignoring any the request itself.
No-one is contesting that New Media varies in quality depending on the source and topic – but this is no different than Old Media. The Washington Post, CNN, FOX “News”, the Associated Press, and numerous others have well-known public biases that taint the very issues they should be nakedly communicating to their audience. NPR is well known for being extraordinarily unbiased, and yet they are one of the least popular news organizations within America, with FOX “News” leading the cable news network charge into intellectual illiteracy.
At worst, New Media is no less reliable for factual news than Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, where raving lunatics find a public soapbox to brainwash willing and overeager masses. However, the beauty is in the brilliance that can be found in New Media: TechDirt examines old-world paradigms of copyright and intellectual property, DailyKos exposes lies and deceit within politics of any American party, the Inquisitr serves as an infotainment clearinghouse, Gawker is known for publicizing scandals of public figures, and the list goes on, almost endlessly, for every niche or audience imaginable. These examples are organizations based on the textual blogging format, but audio, video, and short-form text New Media institutions exist, and may in fact represent large swaths of information delivery’s future.
It is high time for Old Media to stop complaining about their demise, while behaving in a two-faced unethical manner, and embrace the digital future that is so obviously coming. Journalism and the dissemination of pure news are essential to the democratic lifestyle, so the process must continue. However, it is insulting to insinuate that intelligent people who invest substantial time and effort in producing valuable media-oriented products are somehow of lesser worth and importance than someone who spent four years partying and barely passing classes at an unknown college to achieve the golden ticket that is a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism.
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.
