Not enough. Journalists around the world are targets of both real and online attacks, and impunity for these crimes is on the rise. Look no further than Ukraine to see journalists risking their lives to document Russia’s historic invasion of Europe’s second-largest country. According to Reporters Without Borders, more than 1,000 foreign correspondents have joined the Ukrainian press corps on the ground.
Public trust in facts has been on the decline for about two decades, and it’s taken a toll. Americans no longer agree on a common set of facts. Many can’t tell the difference between a fact and an opinion, and a growing number no longer trust experts or institutions that used to be the source of basic information. These trends together have led to an epistemic crisis known as truth decay.
Press freedom is under attack by a thousand cuts – and not just in the usual countries known for their media censorship.
Journalism Program Director Sissel McCarthy talks about her transition from the newsroom to the classroom, anonymous sources and why a career in journalism is still a worthy calling in this interview with ForeignPress.org.
A reporter who uses anonymous sources has a much heavier lift when it comes to establishing a story’s credibility.
Although transparency has long been a fundamental principle of journalism, the need for a more expansive interpretation of this practice has never been greater.
One of the biggest challenges news consumers face today is distinguishing news from other content. Thanks to native advertising, the lines between news stories and advertising have never been more blurred.
Trust in the news media is in short supply these days. So what can be done to close the trust gap?
Section 230 doesn’t have many admirers in Washington, D.C., and the need to change it may be one of the few things President Biden and former President Trump agree on—albeit for very different reasons.
Conspiracy theories are nothing new. The oldest ones date back to Roman times and have circulated in varying degrees ever since. From the belief that the Earth is flat or that the CIA assassinated JFK to the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was rigged, these theories appeal to people looking for some semblance of order in our turbulent world. Apparently, there’s quite a few of these folks. According to two University of Chicago researchers, half of all Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory.