tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/news-1904/articlesNews – The Conversation2024-03-26T10:13:14Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2253942024-03-26T10:13:14Z2024-03-26T10:13:14ZThousands of Irish viewers boycott licence fee after presenter salary scandal – what this says about the future of public broadcasting<p>The future of free-to-air publicly funded television is currently under the microscope in Ireland, Great Britain, Australia and Canada. And it seems as though each country is struggling with answers about where funding will come from, whether the public needs it, and if it should survive.</p>
<p>This dilemma has been brought into sharp focus in Ireland because, for the past nine months, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/23/rte-suspends-director-general-over-payments-to-presenter-ryan-tubridy">a scandal</a> has engulfed the Irish public broadcaster, RTÉ. </p>
<p>It began with allegations of secret payments by its previous management to its star presenter Ryan Tubridy to boost his salary. RTÉ accepted the findings by accountancy firm Grant Thornton regarding the payments. In June, it issued <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/media/2023/06/27/responsibility-for-ryan-tubridy-extra-payments-lay-with-dee-forbes-rte-says-in-statement/">a statement</a> claiming: “No member of the RTÉ executive board, other than the director general [Dee Forbes], had all the necessary information to understand that the publicly declared figures for Ryan Tubridy could have been wrong.” Since this time, Forbes has been too ill to answer questions in public about these payments. </p>
<p>RTÉ is partly funded by advertising and commercial interests and partly by the government. The scandal has pitched its present management before the <a href="https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/full-rte-board-to-be-invited-before-media-committee-next-month-1517706.html">Dáil’s media committee</a> on live television and has led to <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/media/2024/02/13/tell-us-your-story-why-did-you-stop-paying-the-tv-licence-fee/">123,000 more households refusing to pay the licence fee</a> than in the previous year, resulting in a loss of almost €22 million (£19 million). </p>
<p>In an annual survey by business consulting group CX Company in October 2023 RTÉ dropped to the <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2023/1003/1408590-rte-take-trust-hit-in-latest-customer-experience-report/">bottom of a league table</a> of trusted brands. The new RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst is working hard to right the ship, but his plans for the immediate future <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/1113/1416297-taoiseach-rte/#:%7E:text=RT%C3%89%20plans%20to%20reduce%20staff,region%20of%20%E2%82%AC40%20million.">include 400 redundancies</a>.</p>
<p>Irish public service broadcasting struggles are happening at the same time as other similar broadcasters are working out if they have a future. </p>
<p>In the UK the BBC has taken massive hits to its budget over the past few years – including having to use licence fee money to pay towards the World Service and to finance <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60014514">free licence fees for the over-75s</a>. The government had previously paid for these licences but it then transferred the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48583487">estimated £745 million cost</a> to the BBC. </p>
<p>Tight budgets have meant cuts to programming, including to current affairs programme <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/nov/30/bbc-under-fire-after-flat-out-bad-decision-to-make-big-newsnight-cuts">Newsnight</a>. The licence fee system itself <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/16/bbc-licence-fee-to-be-abolished-in-2027-and-funding-frozen#:%7E:text=The%20BBC%20will%20have%20to,fee%20abolished%20completely%20in%202027.">may not last</a> for much longer.</p>
<p>In Australia, where payment for the public service broadcaster ABC comes directly <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications-arts/national-broadcasters/australian-broadcasting-corporation-abc#:%7E:text=The%20Australian%20Government%20funds%20the,the%20ABC%20on%20programming%20matters.">from the government</a>, there have been repeated charges of political interference in its reporting, <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/the-audience-problem-waiting-for-the-abc-s-new-supremo-20231215-p5erue">appointments and funding</a>. A series of blistering <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/the-audience-problem-waiting-for-the-abc-s-new-supremo-20231215-p5erue">cuts of 15% since 2014</a> culminated in December 2023 in the axing of the popular current affairs programme The Drum. </p>
<p>Over at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC television and Radio Canada), there have been decades of cuts to staff and resources. Like RTÉ it is a hybrid company, funded partly by the government and partly through advertising. </p>
<p>Its major challenge is its geography as it operates within the highly competitive North American broadcasting sphere and its mix of programming has less appeal than it had in the past. It has pledged <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cbc-radio-canada-layoffs-budget-1.7048530">to cut 10% of its workforce</a> and axe some programming to answer its current funding crisis.</p>
<p><strong>Main sources of news in Ireland 2021</strong></p>
<p>So what is the point of public service media? In Ireland, economist and journalist David McWilliams in the <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024/03/02/we-are-witnessing-the-death-throes-of-rte-i-say-this-with-a-heavy-heart/">Irish Times </a> claims that “we are witnessing the death throes of RTÉ” mainly because people’s media habits are evolving and “no amount of political special pleading is going to change this”. </p>
<p>Similar arguments are being made in Australia. According to the <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf">Reuters Digital News Report 2023</a>, the ABC remains the most trusted media service (66%), but, according to the <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/the-audience-problem-waiting-for-the-abc-s-new-supremo-20231215-p5erue">Australian Financial Review</a>, less than two in three Australians interact with it each week.</p>
<p>While young people may increasingly pay attention to <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf">social media and influencers</a>, they still return to trusted news online for big stories and emergencies. </p>
<p>In 2021, during the height of the pandemic young people even watched television news programmes, with the <a href="https://fujomedia.eu/site/assets/files/1925/15651_dnr_2021_web.pdf">Reuters’ Digital News Report Ireland 2021, </a> showing figures for 18-24-year-olds going up 13 percentage points on the previous year. However, this turned out to be a momentary blip in watching scheduled TV at the time it was broadcast and the following year this figure <a href="https://fujomedia.eu/site/assets/files/1926/20220613_dnr-2022_final_web-version_dmb.pdf">dropped back ten percentage points.</a></p>
<h2>Is trust enough?</h2>
<p>The true importance of public service media isn’t its popularity but its trustworthiness and its availability. All of these broadcasting services mentioned here top the Reuters Digital News Report’s ranking for the most trustworthy brands in their respective countries. </p>
<p>According to the European Broadcasting Union the <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/about/public-service-media">core values of public service media</a> are “universality, independence, excellence, diversity, accountability and innovation”. The EBU seeks ways to keep public service media sustainable and in public ownership and Ireland and Great Britain are signed up members of this group. </p>
<p>But another point of attack against these kinds of broadcasters is their timidity towards governments in power. </p>
<p>Goldsmiths, University of London, academic <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1527476418760985?journalCode=tvna">Des Freedman argues</a> that the public service model, as demonstrated by the BBC isn’t necessarily “the most effective means of holding power to account” due to “structural and institutional factors that constrain the BBC’s journalism”. However, so far, nobody has come up with a concrete plan “to secure distinctly public forms of communication that are independent of both state and market”. </p>
<p>Reform would seem to be the only way forward – to seek public payments, but in a fairer way than the blunt licence fee. <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/finland-divided-over-keeping-public-broadcasting-tax/">Finland provides an excellent example</a> of a country in which you pay for public broadcasting in relation to your pay packet. In an ideal scenario, this revenue stream would be kept separate from government interference, as would appointments to management positions. </p>
<p>Public service media should not just chase the most attractive demographics, instead, they must serve all their nation’s communities. Innovation should be the guiding principle to keeping digital services up to speed and trustworthy at a time when AI may lead us all into confusion. </p>
<p>With the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/10/how-to-address-disinformation/">surfeit of disinformation</a> and misinformation on the internet and social media, trust has to be earned every day. Transparency, independence and honest communication are the old-fashioned values that public service media – in particular RTÉ – need to demonstrate. With new Reuters’ data on trust published in June, this will be a key test of whether RTÉ programming can still win the trust of the public.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225394/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Colleen Murrell receives funding from Ireland's regulator Coimisiún na Meán to research and write the annual Reuters Digital News Report Ireland.</span></em></p>Countries around the world are debating whether free-to-air television has a future.Colleen Murrell, Full Professor in Journalism, Dublin City UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2251012024-03-07T07:45:35Z2024-03-07T07:45:35ZNew European law aims to protect media outlets against disinformation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579815/original/file-20240221-24-8xtwbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C9%2C6016%2C3998&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/online-news-on-smartphone-mockup-website-1866430684">Oatawa / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/disinformation-threatens-global-elections-heres-how-to-fight-back-223392">Disinformation</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/04/trump-ai-generated-images-black-voters">AI-generated content</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/some-people-who-share-fake-news-on-social-media-actually-think-theyre-helping-the-world-215623">fake news</a> pose a serious <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-2024-well-truly-find-out-how-robust-our-democracies-are-to-online-disinformation-campaigns-224789">threat to our democratic processes</a>. With half of the world’s population taking part in more than <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/23/2024-global-elections-tracker-voting-dates-us-india-indonesia-belarus-haiti-pakistan-full-list">80 national elections in 2024</a> – including European elections in June – independent and trustworthy media outlets are more vital than ever, and important steps are being taken to safeguard them.</p>
<p>In December 2023, the European Parliament reached an agreement on the proposed <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_5504">European Media Freedom Act</a> (EMFA). This act aims to harmonise EU members’ national legislation on editorial freedom, as well as media pluralism and independence. It was passed in response to the digital transformation of the media sector in recent decades.</p>
<p>The proposal was approved by a large majority (448 votes for, 102 against, and 75 abstentions), after being announced in April 2021 by commissioner Thierry Breton. It forms part of a framework for making media businesses sustainable, while also promoting democratic participation, fighting disinformation, and fomenting media freedom, independence and pluralism.</p>
<p>There is concern across the EU about mistrust arising from political bias in the media, as well as a lack of transparency in media ownership and in the allocation of state advertising. The EMFA aims to combat political interference in editorial decisions in both public and private media, and to protect journalists and their sources.</p>
<h2>Where does Europe get its news?</h2>
<p>According to the 2022 <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2022/dnr-executive-summary?utm_campaign=Future%20of%20Journalism&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter"><em>Digital News Report</em></a>, northern Europeans are more likely to see the press as free from undue political interference than their neighbours in the south and east. Finland and The Netherlands have the highest rates of trust in media independence, at 50% and 46% respectively. In contrast, this opinion is only shared by a small minority in Greece (7%), Spain and Italy (13%), and Hungary and Bulgaria (15%). </p>
<p>A July 2022 Eurobarometer survey showed that television was the main source of news for 75% of EU citizens, especially among older generations. In contrast, 43% use online news platforms, 39% the radio, 26% social media and blogs. Printed media came in last, with only 21% relying on it regularly.</p>
<p>Although traditional news sources are still relevant, 88% of those surveyed got their news through smartphones or computers. Nowadays, paying for news is the exception: of those who accessed news online, 70% did so for free. </p>
<p>The more recent <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/european-media-industry-outlook">European Media Industry Outlook</a>, published by the European Commission in May 2023, noted that consumers have become accustomed to not paying for news as a result of online business models. Media outlets therefore have to continually experiment and innovate, and lean on strengths such as brand loyalty and the trust of their audiences.</p>
<h2>Ensuring freedom from interference</h2>
<p>Under the new rules, EU member states are required to respect the editorial freedom of media outlets. The press, in turn, has to ensure total transparency in what they publish, which must also be reflected in their online presence and other easily accessible content.</p>
<p>The EMFA protects news outlets, journalists and households from spyware programs, with only a few exceptions. Additionally, journalists cannot be prosecuted for protecting the confidentiality of their sources. This detail was included in the new law because regulation currently varies among EU members.</p>
<p>The law also strengthens protections of publicly owned media outlets, as they play a key role in informing the public. However, public media’s close proximity to national political institutions can make them more open to political interference. The EMFA therefore also includes measures to regulate public media, including transparent selection processes for its directors, and measures to ensure they can only be dismissed or step down under certain circumstances. </p>
<p>On this matter, the EU’s Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_5504">was unequivocal</a>: “no public media should be turned into propaganda channel.”</p>
<p>Member states are also required to establish steps to assess concentrations of private media ownership, as this can affect media pluralism.</p>
<p>Another key aspect is the requirement for public authorities at all levels (national, regional and local), to publish annual reports on the distribution of public media investment. Audience data providers, in turn, have to provide detailed information regarding the methods they use.</p>
<p>The EMFA reminds large digital platforms that they hold significant sway over this sector as a whole. <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/dsa-vlops">Online platforms</a> with over 45 million users (an all but explicit reference to the “Big Five” tech companies) who wish to stop publishing media content should inform media companies in advance, and address their complaints as a matter of priority.</p>
<p>Such large companies are required to prove their compliance with this obligation through annual reports.</p>
<h2>Regaining public trust</h2>
<p>Even with its limitations, the EMFA can play an important part in creating a climate of trust. It can help to make journalism more viable, encourage healthy competition, and limit the potential for abuse by both EU governments and big technology platforms. </p>
<p>However, while the legal framework it establishes is sorely needed, it does not go far enough. Media companies need to continue to be creative and innovative in order to stay relevant to increasingly sceptical audiences, who do not consume news in the same ways as previous generations.</p>
<p>Today, we know that only a concerted effort to regain public trust and loyalty will provide media companies with an increase in paid subscribers. These consumers are the ones who assume the civic burden of sustaining the media, though only after considerable hesitation has a consensus begun to emerge on this point among news companies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225101/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francisco J. Pérez Latre no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.</span></em></p>The European Media Freedom Act aims to fight misinformation and ensure an independent press, while also keeping media outlets in business.Francisco J. Pérez Latre, Profesor. Director Académico de Posgrados de la Facultad de Comunicación, Universidad de NavarraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2248722024-03-02T09:28:32Z2024-03-02T09:28:32ZHow will Meta’s refusal to pay for news affect Australian journalism – and our democracy?<p>When we speak of media freedom, we generally mean it in terms of freedom <em>from</em> unnecessary legal restrictions, so journalists and their sources are not threatened with prosecution for exposing the misdeeds of governments. </p>
<p>But yesterday’s announcement by Meta (Facebook’s parent company) that it will <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-01/meta-won-t-renew-deal-with-australian-news-media/103533874">stop paying for Australian news content</a> poses a different kind of threat to media freedom. </p>
<p>The most progressive <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-push-to-make-social-media-companies-liable-in-defamation-is-great-for-newspapers-and-lawyers-but-not-you-127513">media freedom laws</a> in the world are meaningless if news companies can’t afford to hire experienced journalists to run expensive investigations. It doesn’t matter how free the laws are if there are no journalists to do the reporting. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-37265-1_4">key part of any successful democracy</a> is a free media, capable of interrogating the powerful and holding governments to account. Even in a world overflowing with digital content, we recognise the need for good journalism, produced to ethical and professional standards, to help inform public debate and good policy-making. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-wont-keep-paying-australian-media-outlets-for-their-content-are-we-about-to-get-another-news-ban-224857">Facebook won't keep paying Australian media outlets for their content. Are we about to get another news ban?</a>
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<h2>It was always going to fall apart</h2>
<p>Three years ago, in 2021, under <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/by-industry/digital-platforms-and-services/news-media-bargaining-code/news-media-bargaining-code">the News Media Bargaining Code</a>, the government forced Meta and Google to negotiate with news organisations and pay for the right to access and post their stories. </p>
<p>The government introduced the code after <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/3/1/facebook-owner-meta-to-end-deals-funding-news-in-australia-germany-france">Facebook and Google were accused of putting news content on their platforms</a>, while denying news organisations the advertising revenues that used to pay for journalism.</p>
<p>Although we don’t know exactly who gets paid what, it is estimated that the two digital giants injected <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/1b-for-journalism-at-risk-in-new-warning-over-google-facebook-20240223-p5f78j.html">about $250 million a year</a> into Australian journalism.</p>
<p>It wasn’t enough to end the crisis in news caused by the collapse of the old business models, but it <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/Regionalnewspapers/Report/Section?id=committees%2Freportrep%2F024888%2F79305">helped prop up</a> a lot of struggling companies. In some cases, it helped pay for otherwise unprofitable forms of journalism. </p>
<p>One of the big problems with the code was that it pushed media companies into inherently unstable and unpredictable deals with commercial behemoths, whose only interest in news was as a commodity to help drive profits. It was always going to fall apart, if and when news became too expensive and Facebook users became disinterested. </p>
<p>It is hard to criticise Meta for deciding the deals weren’t worth it. The company is doing what it is supposed to, making hardheaded commercial decisions and maximising shareholder returns. But Meta’s interests are not the same as the Australian public’s.</p>
<p>Or more accurately, Meta’s interests are not the same as our democracy’s. Meta doesn’t need high-quality news, particularly if its users are more interested in sharing family photos than sober reporting on inflation rates. But collectively, our society does need it. </p>
<p>High-quality news is expensive. It doesn’t cost much to send someone to report on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-taylor-swift-tickets-so-hard-to-get-the-economics-are-complicated-208567">Taylor Swift’s</a> Melbourne concert, but it is hugely expensive to cover <a href="https://theconversation.com/other-nations-are-applying-sanctions-and-going-to-court-over-gaza-should-nz-join-them-224132">the war in Gaza</a> or investigate allegations of government corruption. </p>
<p>I suspect not that many Australians have read Adele Ferguson’s reporting about the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/adele-ferguson-on-the-cost-of-whistleblowing-and-need-for-a-bank-royal-commission-20160505-gomxc4.html">corrupt practices of our biggest banks</a>. Her investigations took years of work, and cost far more than the Sydney Morning Herald would have recovered in subscriptions and advertising revenue for her stories. </p>
<p>But her reporting triggered the <a href="https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/banking">Banking Royal Commission</a> and a suite of reforms that benefit everyone with a bank account.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/one-third-of-australians-think-banks-do-nothing-for-the-greater-public-good-111346">One-third of Australians think banks do nothing for the greater public good</a>
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<h2>A news levy?</h2>
<p>If we accept that news is a public good, not something we can treat as a product to be traded like soap, then we have to develop economic models that somehow get the public to pay for it. It could be something like a levy – similar to Medicare’s – that recognises even if we don’t all consume news equally, we are collectively better off by having good journalism that’s free from commercial or political pressure.</p>
<p>It is a difficult conversation to have, particularly when most Australians say <a href="https://www.edelman.com.au/trust/2023/trust-barometer">they don’t trust the media</a>, and more and more of us are <a href="https://www.canberra.edu.au/uc-alumni-canvas/canvas-articles/posts/news-blues-over-half-of-australians-avoid-the-news">giving up on news altogether</a>. </p>
<p>And that brings us to the other truth this crisis has exposed: our consumption of media <a href="https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/media/newsroom/2023/june/digital-news-report-australia-2023-tiktok-and-instagram-increase-in-popularity-for-news-consumption,-but-australians-dont-trust-algorithms">has changed irreversibly</a>. Fewer and fewer people are reading long news stories or wading through heavy TV bulletins. Now, short-form videos on TikTok, YouTube and Facebook are dominant. The news industry needs to meet audiences where they are, and accept that the ways of presenting news must also radically change.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3RW1U9Q-lzw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Our ways of consuming the news have changed, with short-form videos now dominant.</span></figcaption>
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<p>This is not to suggest all journalism should henceforth be presented as TikTok videos. But forcing digital giants to prop up analogue-era news companies cements a system that is no longer fit for purpose. </p>
<p>By trying to make the big digital giants pay for content they ultimately profit from, the News Media Bargaining Code started with the right intention. But now that Meta has decided it is no longer worth it, we have a chance to radically rethink and redesign how we finance and deliver news – in a way that works for us all. </p>
<p>Our democracy depends on it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224872/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Greste is a professor of journalism at Macquarie University and the Executive Director of the advocacy group, the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom.</span></em></p>Meta’s announcement it will stop paying for news poses a threat. High-quality news is expensive, but important. Do we need economic measures that somehow get the public to pay for it?Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism and Communications, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2236192024-02-28T18:44:00Z2024-02-28T18:44:00ZHow audience data is shaping Canadian journalism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577153/original/file-20240221-24-3j5bg1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C45%2C7680%2C4265&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There’s been a big shift in how journalists consider their audiences in newsrooms. That shift is largely due to audience data.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With media conglomerates <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bce-cuts-1.7108658">slashing jobs, programs</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/torstar-metroland-nordstar-1">publications</a> and growing <a href="https://www.cem.ulaval.ca/publications/dnr-2023-canada-eng/">news avoidance and perceived issues of trust</a> in journalism, finding ways to catch, engage and retain an audience has become a matter of survival for those in the news business.</p>
<p>There’s been a big shift in how journalists consider their audiences in newsrooms. That shift is largely due to <a href="https://j-source.ca/heres-how-metrics-and-analytics-are-changing-newsroom-practice/">audience data</a> — lots of audience data.</p>
<p>Journalists experience almost constant feedback about the content they create. It doesn’t matter if they’re working online, in television, radio or traditional print. They’re delivering to multiple platforms and every day they’re exposed to quantitative data — metrics that measure audience behaviour on websites and social media — and qualitative data — such as audience comments on social media.</p>
<p>As one television journalist told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You know exactly how far someone scrolls down a page, how many seconds they’re spending on a page, what device you’re using, we know so much about our audience, just like Google knows about our audience.” </p>
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<p>But what impact does all of this data have on how journalists perceive their audiences and the content they publish? That’s what Colette Brin of Laval University, Stuart Duncan from Toronto Metropolitan University and I explore in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2310712">newly published paper</a> examining audience-oriented journalism.</p>
<h2>Audience-oriented journalism</h2>
<p>In basic terms, audience-oriented journalism involves three specific roles:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Infotainment — journalism that uses narrative strategies and style that align with more entertainment-based media; </p></li>
<li><p>Civic — journalism that focuses on educating citizens on their rights or advocating for their demands; and </p></li>
<li><p>Service — news reports that promote products or help you solve everyday problems.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="the Toronto Star website" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577152/original/file-20240221-20-97keji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Finding ways to catch, engage and retain an audience has become a matter of survival for those in the news business.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We <a href="https://j-source.ca/a-global-study-on-pandemic-era-news-explores-the-gap-between-journalists-ideals-and-realities/">analyzed more than 3,700 stories</a> from 2020, surveyed 133 journalists in 2020 and 2021 and interviewed 13 journalists during the same time period. The news organizations we studied were the <em>Toronto Star</em>, <em>Globe and Mail</em>, <em>National Post</em>, CTV, Global News, <em>La Presse</em>, <em>HuffPost Canada</em>, TVA and CBC/Radio-Canada. Having worked in newsrooms ourselves, we were able to contextualize our results through our own experiences. </p>
<p>We found audience data has a big impact on practice in Canadian newsrooms. At the now defunct <a href="https://theconversation.com/bottom-up-audience-driven-and-shut-down-how-huffpost-canada-left-its-mark-on-canadian-media-175805"><em>HuffPost Canada</em></a>, for example, the audience was segmented into specific “types” of readers based on audience data. As one editor described, “We do X, Y and Z for this type of story for this type of person.” In essence, how a story was written depended on who it was being written for. </p>
<p>Reporters were also aware of the importance of audience data from a business perspective. As noted by one newspaper reporter:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“This is all algorithm stuff that I don’t entirely understand, but it does help the eggheads figure out how to customize your user experience when you go to the website. So it’s showing you stuff you’re interested in much the same way of Facebook and Twitter, which keeps people engaged with your website, which means more subscribers, which means I get to stay gainfully employed.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Responses to our survey supported the importance of audience data in the selection, development and promotion of stories and in measuring their value. Based on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884913504259">other studies</a>, we also know that journalists can lowball <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884915595474">the importance of data</a> in making editorial decisions, so there could be even greater impact than we measured. </p>
<h2>Infotainment and sensationalism</h2>
<p>There is frequent critique that the ubiquity of data in newsrooms has resulted in a push for clickbait or more sensationalized stories that boost traffic at the expense of more newsworthy reportage — and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2018.1504626">sometimes that happens</a>. </p>
<p>Sensationalism is part of infotainment. However, our content analysis revealed that a lot of what qualifies as infotainment in Canadian journalism involves descriptive language and sharing relevant, personal details about the subject being written about. Done appropriately this can give greater nuance and context to a story. </p>
<p>As well, infotainment in Canada is often combined with the “educator” part of the civic role. For example, one editor told us how they look to find the “more fun” (infotainment) aspect of a story that can give a “point of entry” to inform the public about things like rules of Parliament. </p>
<p>The civic and service roles are also often performed together, with news you can use that might impact someone’s understanding of political processes or stories about their rights as citizens. </p>
<p>Nearly 80 per cent of the stories we sampled had at least one audience-oriented role present, and almost 40 per cent had more than one. This provides strong evidence that audiences are top of mind in newsrooms. </p>
<p>Our conversations also revealed that even if newsrooms aren’t always able to <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/imagined-audiences-journalism-analytics-intuition.html">accurately interpret</a> what the audience wants, they’re spending a lot of time and resources trying to do so.</p>
<h2>Importance of social media</h2>
<p>Most reporters we talked to used social media — whether they wanted to or not — because they recognized it as an important tool to reach audiences, find sources and promote their work. More than 78 per cent of the journalists surveyed agreed it was an important tool to connect with audiences. </p>
<p>However, reporters also noted the downsides of social media, particularly related to political polarization. One newspaper reporter said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“While it provides a venue to find an audience, which is what we absolutely need to do, it has also created a forum with which to attack journalists and attack the free press.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>That hostile environment resulted in another reporter being careful about her choice of words so she could reach a wider audience:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I deliberately go out of my way to try to reach the people who are trying to ignore me. Like, that’s the target audience as you write. So you’re avoiding unnecessary use of terms that get spun into shit, not because we don’t deserve to use those terms … but because what you’re actually attempting to do is to reach those people.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Even if people might not trust news, or a certain media organization, there is evidence to show they can still recognize and appreciate <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003257998">quality journalism</a>. </p>
<p>Canadian journalists have to find ways to understand and reach an audience that may not always want to listen. They’re trying hard to do so. Whether it works, and the lasting impact of their efforts on journalistic standards, remains to be seen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223619/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Blanchett has received funding from Mitacs, Centre d’études sur les médias, The Journalism Research Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University, The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and SSHRC.</span></em></p>A new study on Canadian journalism examines the impact of audience data on journalistic roles and journalists’ perceptions of their audienceNicole Blanchett, Associate Professor, Journalism, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2172122023-11-15T17:55:58Z2023-11-15T17:55:58ZCompassion fatigue can happen to anyone — here’s how you can overcome it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559086/original/file-20231113-19-pa97qj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5751%2C3837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Compassion fatigue doesn't mean you lack sympathy.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sad-female-checking-smart-phone-content-1949404468">Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When tragic events happen, no matter how far away from us they are, it’s hard not to pay attention. Many of us empathise with the people in these situations and wonder how we can get involved, or if there’s anything we can do to help.</p>
<p>Over the past few years, we’ve borne witness to a series of pivotal global events, from the COVID pandemic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as many natural disasters. Just when it seemed that things could not get worse, last month conflict in Gaza escalated.</p>
<p>With so many tragedies following so closely after one another, some of us may be finding that as much as we want to engage with what’s going on, we have no more sympathy left to give and would rather switch off from what’s going on around us.</p>
<p>If you’ve been feeling this way, just know it doesn’t mean you lack sympathy for others. Rather, it may be a sign that you have “compassion fatigue”. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002074891730010X">Compassion fatigue</a> is a stress response that results in feelings of apathy or indifference towards those who are suffering.</p>
<p>This phenomenon is particularly common in healthcare. Health and social workers may be particularly prone because the nature of their work often means sharing the <a href="https://theconversation.com/compassion-fatigue-the-cost-some-workers-pay-for-caring-30865">emotional burden</a> of their patients. </p>
<p>Psychologists have also found that people with certain personality types may be at higher risk of experiencing compassion fatigue. For instance, people who tend to hold their emotions in, but are prone to pessimism and worrying, are <a href="https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1051746">more susceptible</a>.</p>
<p>The term is also increasingly used to describe a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/107769909607300314">general desensitisation</a> of public concern for social problems. </p>
<p>But why, as journalism professor Susan Moeller writes in her book <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203900352/compassion-fatigue-susan-moeller">Compassion Fatigue</a>, do we “seem to care less and less about the world around us” – even when the news stories and images we see are so haunting and shocking?</p>
<p>Science offers us one explanation, and that is that an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2022.09.007">excess of compassion</a> can lead to depression, burnout and feeling overwhelmed. Compassion fatigue acts as a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203777381">survival strategy</a>” to overcome being exposed to the suffering of others. </p>
<p>The media may also partly play a role in this phenomenon. Many publications are aware that when there’s a cascade of crises, our level of <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203900352/compassion-fatigue-susan-moeller">concern appears to diminish</a>.</p>
<p>So, publications strive to capture attention with <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23736992.2020.1731313">increasingly vivid content</a> to keep viewers engaged. According to Moeller, journalists do this by discarding events that lack drama or lethality compared to previous ones, or by employing bolder language and imagery in their stories. </p>
<p>This is then paired with near-constant exposure to the news – our phones giving us ready access to catastrophes and world events as they happen. This intensified and recurrent exposure to ever more vivid, distressing events creates an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2022.09.007">ideal environment</a> for compassion fatigue to surface.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person puts their smartphone into a basket next to their headphones." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559092/original/file-20231113-21-6h6tji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559092/original/file-20231113-21-6h6tji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559092/original/file-20231113-21-6h6tji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559092/original/file-20231113-21-6h6tji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559092/original/file-20231113-21-6h6tji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559092/original/file-20231113-21-6h6tji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559092/original/file-20231113-21-6h6tji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Setting limits on your usage may help.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/digital-detox-technology-concept-close-hand-2293123313">Syda Productions/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Regardless of the reasons you may be experiencing compassion fatigue, it isn’t a permanent phenomenon. There are many techniques you can use to cope and overcome it. Here are some.</p>
<h2>1. Acceptance</h2>
<p>Don’t feel guilty for feeling disengaged from the news. It’s normal to find it distressing when hearing traumatic news stories, or seeing distressing images. </p>
<p>This coping technique is called <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699930701499857">avoidance</a> and explains why so many of us want to <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(14)00770-2.pdf">switch away</a> from troubling things. </p>
<p>Knowing and accepting that this is a normal response given the circumstances is the initial step to overcoming compassion fatigue.</p>
<h2>2. Set boundaries</h2>
<p>Take charge of your news intake by deactivating notifications and controlling when and how often you engage with it. Not only can this improve feelings of compassion fatigue, it may also have other benefits. </p>
<p>For example, excessive social media use can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106487">disrupt sleep</a>, so managing news consumption, especially before bedtime, can help.</p>
<h2>3. Slow down</h2>
<p>Witnessing others’ suffering can trigger stress responses in our body, including an <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.HYP.35.4.880">accelerated heart rate</a>.</p>
<p>If you find you’re feeling anxious or stressed when consuming news, relaxation techniques, such as meditation and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10072-016-2790-8?code=daa444bd-df80-4b1e-b724-79afe9d38c99&correlationId=8806e3e9-7c91-4807-8462-792e593fc8a9&error=cookies_not_supported">deep breathing</a>, can help.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01375-w">Loving-kindness meditation</a> may be particularly helpful for improving wellbeing and compassion. This meditation technique involves focusing on the positive and cultivating feelings of love, compassion and goodwill towards oneself and others. </p>
<h2>4. Connect with nature</h2>
<p>Taking a walk in nature can help <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0013916518800798">reduce stress levels</a>. This may also help to alleviate compassion fatigue, as elevated cortisol levels (known as the “stress hormone”) are linked to chronic stress, burnout and emotional stress – all of which can worsen compassion fatigue. </p>
<h2>5. Be nurturing</h2>
<p>Caring for <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jeh/article/37/1/30/430948/An-Update-of-the-Literature-Supporting-the-Wel">plants</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2020.1771061">pets</a> profoundly affects wellbeing. Nurturing living things fosters personal fulfilment, and companion animals can reduce negative emotions, mitigating some of the effects of compassion fatigue. </p>
<h2>6. Take action</h2>
<p>Try addressing problems you can solve instead of dwelling on insurmountable issues. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11266-018-0041-8">Volunteering</a> might be one way to do this. It’s also linked to better mental and physical wellbeing.</p>
<p>Charitable giving can also increase <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09637214221121100">happiness</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11266-013-9382-5">wellness</a>, which may mitigate the effects of compassion fatigue. </p>
<p>These concrete actions can restore a sense of agency, reducing the helplessness associated with compassion fatigue.</p>
<h2>7. Seek support</h2>
<p>If you’re finding it difficult to cope or your compassion fatigue has been happening for some time, you might consider seeking support. A specialist or therapist may be helpful, but guided videos, tutorials or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TXgKPSLxIY&list=PLW8o3_GFoCBNWV3KtiiXNsg3zDgZqEyFf">online meditation resources</a> can also work.</p>
<p>Hopefully, by implementing these tools, you can reclaim agency over your emotions, accept them and work towards restoring your wellbeing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217212/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carolina Pulido Ariza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>‘Compassion fatigue’ may act as a coping mechanism to being exposed to the suffering of others.Carolina Pulido Ariza, PhD Candidate, Compassion Fatigue, University of PlymouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2136932023-11-14T17:06:59Z2023-11-14T17:06:59ZShould the media tell you when they use AI to report the news? What consumers should know<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the media landscape, both for news organisations and consumers. Applications such as ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing AI are creating new possibilities to assist in writing and researching the news, but these also raise ethical concerns.</p>
<p>One of the most pressing questions for news organisations is whether consumers should be told when they are reading a story created, or aided by, use of AI. Some, such as the technology magazine <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/guide-artificial-intelligence/">Wired</a> and the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/articles/2023/generative-ai-at-the-bbc/">BBC</a> are already doing this, but other media outlets are not.</p>
<p>There are several arguments for and against disclosing this kind of information. </p>
<p>First, it would help to ensure transparency and accountability. Consumers should know how the news they are consuming is being produced, and they should be able to make informed choices about whether or not to trust it.</p>
<p>Second, disclosure could help mitigate the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/why-do-ai-image-generators-show-bias/">risks of bias</a>. AI systems are trained using data, and that data can reflect the biases of the people who created it. As a result, AI-generated content can sometimes be biased. By requiring disclosure, consumers would be able to be aware of this potential bias and take it into account when evaluating the information.</p>
<p>Third, disclosure could help to protect <a href="https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/misinformation-reloaded-fears-about-the-impact-of-generative-ai-on-misinformation-are-overblown/">consumers from misinformation </a>. AI systems can be used to generate fake news, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between real and fake news. By requiring disclosure, consumers would be able to be more sceptical of AI-generated content and be more likely to verify it before sharing it.</p>
<h2>Against disclosure</h2>
<p>One concern is that it could <a href="https://www.aei.org/technology-and-innovation/regulating-artificial-intelligence-the-need-challenges-and-possible-solutions/">stifle innovation</a>. If news organisations are required to disclose every time they use AI, they may be less likely to experiment with the technology.</p>
<p>Another is that disclosure could be <a href="https://martech.org/two-new-reports-many-consumers-fear-ai-dont-know-theyre-using//">confusing for consumers</a>. Not everyone understands how AI works. Some people may be suspicious of AI-generated content. Requiring disclosure could make it more difficult for consumers to get the information they need.</p>
<h2>How things could play out</h2>
<p>Here are a couple of examples to illustrate these concerns:</p>
<p>Imagine a news organisation is using AI to perform real-time fact-checking and verification of statements made by public figures during live events, such as political debates or press conferences. An AI system could rapidly identify inaccuracies and provide viewers with accurate information in real-time.</p>
<p>However, if the news organisation were required to disclose the use of AI each time, it might lead to a reluctance to deploy such a tool. The fear of public perception and potential backlash could deter news outlets from leveraging AI to enhance the accuracy of their reporting, ultimately depriving the audience of a valuable service.</p>
<p>Another scenario involves AI-driven personalised news curation. Many news platforms use AI algorithms to tailor news content to individual readers’ preferences, ensuring they receive information that aligns with their interests.</p>
<p>If news organisations were compelled to disclose the use of AI in this context, readers might become wary of perceived manipulation. This apprehension could deter news outlets from investing in AI-driven personalisation, limiting their ability to engage and retain audiences in an increasingly competitive media landscape.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/deepfakes-in-warfare-new-concerns-emerge-from-their-use-around-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-216393">Deepfakes in warfare: new concerns emerge from their use around the Russian invasion of Ukraine</a>
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<p>To mitigate these risks, publications such as the New York Times are offering “enhanced bylines” that include more details about the journalists behind the stories and details about <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/09/new-york-times-bios">how the story was produced</a>.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to require disclosure is a complex one. </p>
<p>However, it is essential to have a public conversation about this issue so that we can develop policies that protect consumers and promote responsible journalism, and retain and improve trust in journalism, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/394283/confidence-institutions-down-average-new-low.aspx">which is falling in some countries</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to disclosure, there are other things that news organisations can do to ensure that AI is used ethically and responsibly. They should develop clear guidelines for the use of AI. These guidelines should address issues such as bias, transparency and accountability. They should invest in training and education for their staff. Journalists need to understand how AI works and how to use it responsibly.</p>
<p>Finally, news organisations should work with highly informed groups such as Harvard’s <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/ngo/">Neiman Lab</a>, <a href="https://www.aisafetysummit.gov.uk/">those working on policy</a>, technology companies and academics, to develop ethical standards for using AI and tackle emerging issues critical to the <a href="https://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/exec-summary-2-v12.pdf">future of public-interest news</a>. </p>
<p>The use of AI tools in news is a <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64d60527c01ae7106f2646e9/t/6509b9a39a5ca70df9148eac/1695136164679/Generating+Change+_+The+Journalism+AI+report+_+English.pdf">significant development </a>. It is vital to have a thoughtful and informed conversation about this technology’s potential benefits and risks. By working together, we can ensure that AI is used in a way that serves the public interest and upholds the values of responsible journalism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213693/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>François Nel is an editor of the World Press Trends, the flagship report of WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, and he receives funding from the Google News Initiative for the News Futures 2035 project, which is a multi-stakeholder foresight study into the sustainable supply of trustworthy public interest news in the UK.</span></em></p>Media companies should set up guidelines for how they are using AI.François Nel, Reader in Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Central LancashireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2166002023-11-06T13:32:45Z2023-11-06T13:32:45ZSearching for the right angle – students in this course shoot pool to learn about journalism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556397/original/file-20231028-19-njpcze.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=42%2C17%2C5648%2C3771&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A journalism course invites students to consider the parallels between gathering news and shooting pool.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/confident-teenage-boys-playing-pool-on-illuminated-royalty-free-image/991158980?phrase=shooting+pool&adppopup=true">Maskot / Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Text saying: Uncommon Courses, from The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/uncommon-courses-130908">Uncommon Courses</a> is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.</em> </p>
<h2>Title of course:</h2>
<p>“News Writing and Reporting II: Multimedia”</p>
<h2>What prompted the idea to use pool to teach journalism?</h2>
<p>I wanted to break up the monotony of having students sit at their computers and write news stories or listen to me lecture. So I figured I’d change the venue and try something more kinetic.</p>
<p>I had been going to the <a href="https://stamp.umd.edu/centers/terpzone">TerpZone</a> – a recreational area located in the basement of the student union at the University of Maryland in College Park, where I teach – to eat and use the Wi-Fi. As I watched students shoot pool, I thought: It would be cool to hold at least one class meeting here.</p>
<p>I also thought it would be beneficial. My rationale was that I knew there were some interesting parallels between shooting pool and news gathering. For instance, accurately reporting a complex story could be compared to making a tough shot.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the day I decided to convene class at the pool tables, our regular classroom was unavailable anyway due to a <a href="https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/university-of-maryland-water-outage-after-water-main-break-some-buildings-closed/">water main break on campus</a>. So holding class at the pool tables in the TerpZone – which was not affected – ended up being quite fortuitous.</p>
<h2>What materials did the lesson require?</h2>
<p>I rented four pool tables for an hour or so. I have 14 students. Some students competed on two-player teams, so there would be up to four students per table. </p>
<p>We got the tables at half price, so it cost me $16.</p>
<p>For students who weren’t familiar with pool, I provided a link to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmfKI01S-ws">short instructional video</a> to watch before class. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BCvna-0tTpY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">“The Importance Of Angles In Pool”</span></figcaption>
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<h2>What does the pool lesson explore?</h2>
<p>We explored the various ways that good journalism is like shooting pool. To do this, I had each student interview three classmates and ask each one for a journalism/pool analogy. The idea was to have students collect a variety of viewpoints, just as if they were out covering a story in the community, which they do often for this course. </p>
<h2>What’s a critical lesson from the pool lesson?</h2>
<p>Students reported that shooting pool gave them a visual way to understand what journalists do. </p>
<p>One student found it helpful for players to “step back and take a new look at the table before their turn” – a concept that easily applies to reporting a story.</p>
<p>“Finding the right angle for an article requires taking a fresh look at the facts and quotes,” the student wrote.</p>
<p>Another student said both journalism and shooting pool require patience. A different student touched on the benefits of remaining calm – whether as a journalist on deadline or when it’s time to sink the eight ball to win the game.</p>
<p>“Composure is key when it comes to both,” the student said. “I think there are high-pressure moments. Now you have one ball left, two balls left, and you gotta be able to keep your composure, perform under pressure.”</p>
<p>Other students noted how pool demonstrates the need to anticipate unforeseen consequences as they pursue stories.</p>
<p>“It was important to know where all the balls were on the table and how hitting one would affect the others,” the student said. </p>
<h2>Why is this approach relevant now?</h2>
<p>Americans’ trust in the media to report the news accurately and fairly is <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/403166/americans-trust-media-remains-near-record-low.aspx">at a near record low</a> – just 34%. </p>
<p>If pool – or any other game – can teach future journalists to be more thoughtful about how they pursue stories, perhaps it can lead to better coverage and help restore public confidence in what the media report.</p>
<p>There are other reasons why an approach like this makes sense at this particular time. Students are under a lot of <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886344">academic stress</a>, which can affect their overall well-being. As many pool players will tell you, shooting pool can be a <a href="https://www.thecaregiverspace.org/billiards-to-cope-with-stress/">positive way to relieve stress</a>. It also can help <a href="https://www.dovemed.com/healthy-living/wellness-center/health-benefits-billiards/">build self-esteem and improve concentration</a>.</p>
<p>Also, before we shot pool together, I rarely saw students socialize with one another so effortlessly. When we moved class to the pool hall, students socialized like never before. So it was a good team-building exercise. My only regret was not doing it sooner in the semester.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216600/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamaal Abdul-Alim works as an adjunct at the University of Maryland in College Park. He also currently serves as education editor at The Conversation.</span></em></p>A journalism professor discovers that some of the best lessons for future journalists can be taught on a pool table.Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Lecturer in Journalism, University of MarylandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2137272023-09-27T20:03:54Z2023-09-27T20:03:54ZCanadian media is far too reliant on U.S. tech. Here’s what the government can do about it<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canadian-media-is-far-too-reliant-on-us-tech-heres-what-the-government-can-do-about-it" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>American social media companies <a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/all-news-in-canada-will-be-removed-from-facebook-instagram-within-weeks-meta-1.6502474">blocking Canadian news</a> poses serious problems for Canadian media. Meta blocked Canadian news on its social media sites, Facebook and Instagram, in August in response to Canada’s Online News Act. Google has <a href="https://blog.google/intl/en-ca/company-news/outreach-initiatives/an-update-on-canadas-bill-c-18-and-our-search-and-news-products/">threatened to take similar action</a> when the law comes into effect at the end of the year. Outlets that rely on social media to reach their target audiences will likely struggle to get by. However, the problem also creates an opportunity to rethink communication funding in Canada.</p>
<p>Pablo Rodriguez, then Heritage Minister, was right when he said the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/O-9.3/">Online News Act</a> is about correcting “<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-tech-companies-news-outlets-canada-google-facebook/">market imbalance</a>” between Canadian news outlets and Silicon Valley tech companies. Canadian news organizations should be compensated by the social media platforms for content.</p>
<p>Add this conundrum to the over-reliance on American telecommunications services, and the need to rethink funding Canadian communication is urgent.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-canadian-wildfires-rage-facebooks-news-ban-reveals-the-importance-of-radio-211966">As Canadian wildfires rage, Facebook's news ban reveals the importance of radio</a>
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<p>However, there could be a silver lining in these dark clouds: public outrage may be enough to push the government to establish Canadian-centric media policies and a new funding model for emergency information and communication technology. A revolution in Canadian communication funding policy is not only possible, it is necessary.</p>
<h2>Trickle-down funding just doesn’t work</h2>
<p>U.S.-based companies like Google and Meta profit from Canadian content and Canadian audiences, while relatively small dollars trickle down into the pockets of a few Canadian businesses. The most obvious impacts of this dynamic are on <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/observers-worry-about-impact-of-metro-media-closure-on-local-democracy">local</a> media outlets that are forced to cut staff, or <a href="https://financialpost.com/telecom/bell-cutting-1300-positions-closing-selling-9-radio-stations">close altogether</a>, creating an <a href="https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/news-deserts-why-the-decline-in-local-journalism-threatens-democracy/article_c5ab878b-7cd8-560f-83cb-0f0fb1fcaf2e.html">impoverished media landscape</a>.</p>
<p>Some outlets will no doubt suffer as a result of U.S. tech companies blocking Canadian news. Meanwhile, the few millions of dollars of ad revenue provided to Google and Facebook <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-government-suspends-advertising-on-facebook-instagram/">withheld by Ottawa</a>, provincial governments and <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/technology/article-telecom-and-media-firm-quebecor-to-pull-its-ads-from-facebook-and/">some Canadian media</a> will barely make a dent in the profits of the Silicon Valley behemoths.</p>
<p>This comes at a time when dwindling media revenues are posing risks to Canada’s emergency alert system, <a href="https://www.alertready.ca/">Alert Ready</a>. There has been a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/emergency-alerts-canada-extreme-weather-wildfires-evacuaiton-1.6943105">rise in the use of the system</a> due to floods, tornadoes and wildfires. Yet, Canadian authorities are sticking to a funding model that relies on dwindling cable TV subscribers.</p>
<p>Funding from commercial Canadian cable companies <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-emergency-alerts-crtc-funding/">trickles down</a> to fund the alert system. But customers are <a href="https://broadcastdialogue.com/one-in-five-english-speaking-canadians-has-cut-the-cord/">increasingly switching away</a> from cable TV for options like streaming.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://angusreid.org/netflix-streaming-canada-cord-cutting-tv-landlines/">Angus Reid Institute</a>, while a little over 88 per cent of Canadian households subscribed to cable in 2012, that number dropped to 61 per cent in 2022. </p>
<p>This fall could put funding for the emergency alert system in jeopardy. That is cause for concern, especially at a time when emergency situations like wildfires and floods are becoming more frequent and dangerous. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A phone displaying an emergency alert message" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549179/original/file-20230919-21-b7v0e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Funding for Canada’s emergency alert system comes from commercial Canadian cable companies, but viewers are increasingly switching away from cable.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Two lessons for Canadians</h2>
<p>In order to fix these problems, Canadians must bear in mind two lessons about how not to construct communication systems.</p>
<p><strong>Lesson one:</strong> Do not rely on American media and communication infrastructure to protect the interests of Canadians.</p>
<p>The first lesson should be obvious. Canada is far too reliant on communication infrastructure and media products from down south. I have written <a href="https://theconversation.com/canada-should-look-to-its-past-and-europe-for-guidance-on-media-policy-but-not-south-206251">previously</a> about the reliance on U.S. media. But, to be clear, the problem is not only the media content. </p>
<p><a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/reliable-telecom-services/improving-reliability-and-resilience-canadas-digital-infrastructure">As Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada reports</a>, “the bulk of Canadian consumer-to-consumer traffic and consumer-to-enterprise traffic is routed by Canada’s incumbents via the US (and US IXPs) rather than through Canada.”</p>
<p>Both Liberal and Conservative governments have not kept <a href="https://canadaehx.com/2022/06/04/the-birth-of-the-cbc-2/">former prime minister Richard Bennett’s 1932 promise</a> of “complete Canadian control of broadcasting from Canadian sources.”</p>
<p>Canada relies on U.S. private industry for routing Canadian traffic through the U.S. and <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/en-ca/2022/03/16/rogers-and-microsoft-announce-strategic-alliance-to-revolutionize-hybrid-workplace-communications-and-power-5g-innovation-across-canada-with-azure/">upgrading services</a>. That reliance on the U.S. is not difficult to understand: it’s cheaper. Ensuring safety and services to Canadians is not the priority. </p>
<p><strong>Lesson two:</strong> Do not rely on ever-changing elected leaders or ever-changing commercial communication services to provide stable support for media that serves the needs of all Canadians.</p>
<p>Funding for the CBC has <a href="https://frpc.net/broadcasting/forum-publishes-new-study-on-public-funding-of-cbcs-operations-from-1937-to-2019/">vacillated dramatically</a> over the years. A funding policy reliant on advertising dollars has left the CBC vulnerable to complaints about <a href="https://torontosun.com/news/cbc-for-free-an-ongoing-threat-to-the-canadian-media">competing unfairly</a> with commercial media and underfunded. </p>
<p>When it comes to funding, the CBC lags behind comparable media in other countries. A <a href="https://site-cbc.radio-canada.ca/documents/vision/strategy/latest-studies/Nordicity-analysis-of-government-support-for-public-service-broadcasting-april-2020.pdf">2018 report</a> prepared for the CBC comparing public funding for public service media showed that at $33 per capita, Canadian public service media funding ranked 17 out of 20 western countries. </p>
<p>Research by the <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Publications/EBU-Viewpoint-PSM-Funding_EN.pdf">European Broadcasting Union</a> suggests the single most important factor determining public service media audience share is adequate financing. And having <a href="https://www.mdif.org/">financial independence</a> is key to gaining public trust.</p>
<p>Trust in media is vital to get the public to respond effectively to emergencies. Statistics Canada <a href="https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/3738-are-canadians-prepared-next-natural-disaster-or-weather-related-emergency">reports that Canadians are not prepared</a> for the next pandemic, flood or wildfire. The CBC is insufficiently funded to provide effective emergency communication, including providing trusted information and coordinating effectively with Alert Ready.</p>
<h2>An independent and well-funded media</h2>
<p>Canadian media and telecommunications services must not be dependent on either U.S. or Canadian commercial interests or Canadian politicians. Canada should establish a non-government trust funded (but not controlled) by both commercial operations and Canadian governments.</p>
<p>The trust could be funded, in part, by a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/find-licences/tv-licence">British-style licence fee</a>. In 2022, the BBC saw an <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/284705/the-bbc-s-licence-fee-income-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/">income</a> of around 3.8 billion British pounds from licence fees. In 2023, the licence fee was £159 per year (around $260).</p>
<p>Establishing a similar arrangement could potentially provide far more than the $1.2 billion the government <a href="https://site-cbc.radio-canada.ca/documents/impact-and-accountability/finances/2022/consolidated-financial-statements-2022-2022.pdf">spent</a> on the CBC in 2022.</p>
<p>Canadian public service media and telecommunications service could also derive revenue to invest in a communication trust from spectrum licence fees and fees generated by foreign use of Canadian content and data.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A tablet displaying a news page placed on top of a stack of newspapers" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549180/original/file-20230919-23-3v9y10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canadian news must be well-funded and delivered in a variety of ways.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A robust, reformed Canadian public service multi-platform communication service is more than feasible. Canadian public service media should be required to provide services beyond the broadcasting technology of the 20th century. Video, audio and text should be made available via a Canadian social media platform, local electronic billboards and other platforms. </p>
<p>An integrated, interactive emergency communications system with a focus on service to local communities would begin to address current needs with the latest technologies.</p>
<p>The old promises of the CBC have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/metis-nation-ontario-land-rights-1.6224140">not been met</a>, and <a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/broadcasting-telecommunications-legislative-review/en/canadas-communications-future-time-act">warnings about reforming Canadian media</a> have been largely ignored. The damage to Canadian media caused by social media extortion and the loss of cable TV revenue makes it clear that the time for piecemeal reform has passed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213727/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Lloyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Meta’s blocking of Canadian news reveals how reliant Canada’s media industry is on the U.S. The government must create a better funding model to provide support for Canadian media.Mark Lloyd, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2113222023-09-07T12:23:17Z2023-09-07T12:23:17ZDo unbiased jurors exist to serve at Trump’s trials in the age of social media?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545628/original/file-20230830-15-zfgbw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C16%2C5452%2C3574&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Can anyone say they haven't seen any news about Donald Trump and the 2020 election?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-jury-box-in-the-centennial-court-room-in-the-milwaukee-news-photo/456338404">Raymond Boyd/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As trial dates approach for former President Donald Trump’s indictments, both he and prosecutors are already claiming it will be hard to secure an impartial jury. </p>
<p>Special counsel Jack Smith has said Trump’s public statements <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-special-counsel-jan6-truth-social-9abe1cf490ddf44179b55327f1023358">risk contaminating the jury pool</a> for the charges he will face in a federal court in Washington, D.C., related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. </p>
<p>Trump has said that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/us/trump-jan-6-jury-washington.html">jury pool is already biased</a> because
District of Columbia residents <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4136627-trump-allies-argue-he-cant-get-fair-trial-from-obama-appointee-in-dc/">tend to vote with the Democratic Party</a>. They certainly remember what Jan. 6, 2021, was really like on the streets of their city. And few anywhere in the U.S. have been able to avoid exposure to news coverage, online posts or in-person discussion of the 2020 election, its aftermath and the investigations that have sprung from the invasion of the Capitol and efforts to overturn the election’s results. </p>
<p>Trump’s lawyers, and those prosecuting him, aren’t the only ones grappling with the problem of finding unbiased jurors in the age of social media.</p>
<p>In October 2021, jury selection for the trial of three men accused of murdering unarmed Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery took longer than usual because <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/10/18/1047106255/ahmaud-arbery-case-trial">many prospective jurors were exposed to media reports</a> about Arbery’s death, including a graphic video of his killing taken by one of the defendants. The jury that was ultimately selected <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/24/us/ahmaud-arbery-killing-trial-wednesday-jury-deliberations/index.html">convicted the men</a>, who were later <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/07/us/ahmaud-arbery-sentencing-killers-mcmichael-bryan/index.html">sentenced to life in prison</a>.</p>
<h2>The Supreme Court weighs in</h2>
<p>The question of an impartial jury reached the Supreme Court most recently in 2021, in the case of <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/united-states-v-tsarnaev/">Dzhokhar Tsarnaev</a>, the lone surviving Boston Marathon bomber. Much of the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/13/boston-marathon-bomber-supreme-court-to-consider-death-sentence-for-dzhokhar-tsarnaev.html">news coverage focused on whether the court would uphold the death penalty</a> for Tsarnaev, but the case also presented a fundamental question for this era of ubiquitous social media: Is it possible to find unbiased citizens to serve on a jury in high-profile cases?</p>
<p>This question focuses on the <a href="https://glossophilia.org/2017/05/voir-dire-to-see-them-say-or-to-tell-the-truth/">voir dire</a> process, which employs a French term that roughly translates to “speak the truth.” Voir dire occurs before the start of trial, when lawyers or the judge, depending on the jurisdiction, question prospective jurors to determine whether they harbor any kind of bias or prejudice against one of the parties.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/us/boston-marathon-bombing-trial/index.html">Tsarnaev was charged with 30 counts</a> related to the bombing of the marathon. The case had <a href="https://www.wbur.org/tag/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-trial">received widespread attention</a>, including online commentary about the defendant and pictures of him <a href="https://www.today.com/video/boston-bombing-suspect-drops-backpack-in-video-27008067930">carrying a bomb-laden backpack to the finish line</a>. Voir dire in his case was extensive, lasting 21 days and involving 1,373 prospective jurors, each of whom completed a 28-page questionnaire.</p>
<p>At some point during voir dire, Tsarnaev’s attorney wanted the judge to ask a two-part question to prospective jurors: First, whether they had seen media coverage of the case, and second, what specifically they had seen. The judge asked the first part of the question, but not the second. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A crowd of news cameras focused on the courthouse where the Tsarnaev trial was held." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426290/original/file-20211013-15-1aqax9l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There was intense media focus on the crime and the subsequent trial; here, outside the courthouse on the first day of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial, May 4, 2015, in Boston.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/members-of-the-media-from-around-the-world-wait-outside-the-news-photo/465212542?adppopup=true">Scott Eisen/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>‘Does not suffice’</h2>
<p>Tsarnaev’s lawyers appealed the death penalty, saying in part that the trial judge should have asked what media coverage jurors had seen or read about the case to ensure a fair jury.</p>
<p>The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/07/31/tsarnaev-death-sentence-overturned">found fault with the judge</a>, saying that asking the jurors “only whether they had read anything that might influence their opinion does not suffice,” because that sole question does not elicit “what, if anything, they have learned.” During the oral argument at the Supreme Court, <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2021/10/justices-appear-to-favor-reinstating-death-penalty-for-boston-marathon-bomber/">Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted that</a> “there was a whole lot of different publicity here.”</p>
<p>The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that “<a href="https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_v._Tsarnaev">the jury selection process was both eminently reasonable and wholly consistent</a>” with legal precedents, and upheld the death penalty sentence.</p>
<p>The court could have issued an opinion requiring lower courts to ask jurors more penetrating questions about their exposure to media accounts in high-profile cases.</p>
<p>Some lawyers believe that trial judges should be given a measure of flexibility and autonomy in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/409/524">how they conduct voir dire</a>. Others wanted the Supreme Court to step in and <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/409/524">spell out exactly how voir dire should be conducted</a>. </p>
<p>Those favoring this latter approach pointed out that Tsarnaev was facing a death sentence and <a href="https://courses2.cit.cornell.edu/sociallaw/Tsarnaev/TsarnaevTrial.html">made four requests for a change of venue</a> to move the case from Boston because, his lawyers argued, it would be impossible to get unbiased jurors in the local area. As a <a href="https://udayton.edu/directory/law/hoffmeister_thaddeus.php">scholar of criminal law and juries</a>, I believe a strong argument could be made that any trial judge in this situation should have taken additional steps to uncover bias in prospective jurors. </p>
<p>Those on the other side believe that requiring more questions will unduly lengthen the voir dire process and encroach on juror privacy. Despite these misgivings, courts around the country are increasingly questioning jurors about <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/tort_trial_insurance_practice/publications/the_brief/2016_17/winter/voir_dire_becomes_voir_google_ethical_concerns_of_21st_century_jury_selection/">such topics as social media and their use of the internet</a>. </p>
<h2>Can’t unplug a juror</h2>
<p>There is a larger discussion currently happening in the legal community about whether courts in the digital age can find objective jurors.</p>
<p>Finding unbiased jurors in the pre-digital age, even in high-profile cases, was challenging but nothing like today. Once chosen, <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resources/law_related_education_network/how_courts_work/jurydeliberate/">jurors needed to maintain that unbiased status</a> and were told not to discuss the case with anyone and to avoid radio, television and newspapers. If the case involved the death penalty, jurors might be <a href="https://law.jrank.org/pages/10160/Sequestration.html">sequestered</a>. </p>
<p>Today, that same approach won’t work.</p>
<p>Few jurors can go eight hours, much less a whole week, without using their smartphone or social media. Many people share aspects of their life with others in real time through social media, which is incompatible with jury service. In fact, being a juror makes their social media posts more interesting to others.</p>
<p>In Tsarnaev’s case, <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/12/11/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-death-sentence-appeal-boston">juror No. 138 had a running dialogue about the case on Facebook with his friends</a>.</p>
<p>Today’s jurors also have much more information available to them. By way of example, from April 4 to May 16, 2022, the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/17/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-social-media">generated more social media interactions</a> per article than inflation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or the leak of the Supreme Court’s abortion decision. In the past, news stories about a crime or the defendant would have been difficult to discover or access. Now they are just a click away – or may even be included in notifications pushed to jurors’ phones.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Investigators in white suits examining the bombing scene at the Boston Marathon." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426297/original/file-20211013-19-zem2rd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On April 16, 2013, investigators examine the scene near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, one day after two blasts killed three and injured more than 260 people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SupremeCourtBostonMarathonBombing/6d6dd5e671c54c97b941413ef2c9d2e9/photo?Query=Tsarnaev%20jury&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=94&currentItemNo=0">AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Dealing with the connected juror</h2>
<p>Judges across the country take a variety of approaches to protect defendants from biased juries in the digital age. </p>
<p>Attorneys and judges will ask potential jurors questions. In addition, attorneys will investigate jurors to learn what they know about the case. This happens both in the courtroom at <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/tort_trial_insurance_practice/publications/the_brief/2016_17/winter/voir_dire_becomes_voir_google_ethical_concerns_of_21st_century_jury_selection/">voir dire and online</a>, where attorneys research jurors’ digital footprints, including social media posts. The question of how far to pry during voir dire was the main issue of concern in Tsarnaev’s case. </p>
<p>Once chosen, jurors are told to follow the court’s instructions, but the lure of social media can be all too tempting. Thus, courts impose penalties on jurors who <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/ucollr83&div=13&id=&page=">are unable to follow the rules on seeking out information or discussing the case</a>. </p>
<p>These penalties include holding jurors in contempt of court, taking their devices or imposing sequestration, in which jurors are put up in hotels <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/ucollr83&div=13&id=&page=">away from their family and devices</a>. The common theme with all penalties is that once imposed, they make citizens less inclined to want to serve as jurors.</p>
<h2>Question time</h2>
<p>Some legal experts believe that if jurors are given sufficient information about the case, they will be less inclined to violate court rules and go online to look for information or discuss the case. One way to improve the appropriate flow of information to jurors is <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/ucollr83&div=13&id=&page=">to allow them to ask questions during trial</a>.</p>
<p>Finally, there are calls to change jury instructions to fit the modern times. Since today’s jurors are so receptive to learning information online, they may have to be told why practices that they regularly use are prohibited while on jury duty. Those explanations could help jurors abide by the rules.</p>
<p>The jury, throughout its approximately 400-year history in America, has witnessed many changes in society. Through each one, the jury has adapted and survived. Thus, I believe it is highly likely the jury will weather the storm of the digital age.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of an <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-unbiased-jurors-exist-in-an-age-of-social-media-169125">article</a> originally published Oct. 15, 2021.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211322/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thaddeus Hoffmeister does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Trump’s lawyers, and those prosecuting him, aren’t the only ones grappling with the problem of finding unbiased jurors in the age of social media.Thaddeus Hoffmeister, Professor of Law, University of DaytonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2119662023-08-22T17:49:23Z2023-08-22T17:49:23ZAs Canadian wildfires rage, Facebook’s news ban reveals the importance of radio<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/as-canadian-wildfires-rage-facebooks-news-ban-reveals-the-importance-of-radio" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Amid the wildfire crisis in the Northwest Territories and the Aug. 16 order to evacuate its capital city, Yellowknife, the outcry over Meta’s Canadian news block has reached new heights. The issue has become even more pressing as evacuees face challenges getting essential updates. </p>
<p>I was visiting Paulatuk, a remote part of N.W.T, almost 900 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife when the evacuation order was issued. </p>
<p>I was aware of the news ban on Facebook but I was also able to turn to CBC North’s radio broadcast for updates. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/program/cbc-radio-one-north">CBC North</a> moved its broadcast base from Yellowknife to Calgary to provide continued coverage throughout the unfolding situation. </p>
<p>Based on my recent personal experience in the region, I was reminded that although social media has been vital for disseminating crisis information, AM and FM radio still play an essential role. As well, there is a necessity for a diversity of media sources, especially in moments of crisis. </p>
<h2>‘Reckless’ news-blocking in a crisis</h2>
<p>Following the order to evacuate Yellowknife, many expressed their frustration with the news ban and called on Meta (formerly Facebook) to revoke its embargo of news in Canada so evacuees could access and share real-time updates in a rapidly evolving emergency. </p>
<p>News organizations reflected on the urgency and published a flurry of articles with headlines like “<a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-demands-meta-lift-reckless-ban-on-news-to-allow-fires-info-to-be-shared-1.6525390">Canada demands Meta lift ‘reckless’ ban on news to allow fires info to be shared</a>” and “<a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/meta-news-blocking-reckless-during-wildfire-evacuations">Government calls on Meta to reverse ‘reckless’ news-blocking as wildfires force evacuations</a>.”</p>
<p>Meta’s Canadian news embargo is the corporation’s response to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/c-18-your-questions-answered-1.6925260">Canada’s Online News Act</a>, which passed in June. The <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/online-news.html">federal government legislation may require large social media platforms to enter into revenue-sharing agreements with Canadian news publishers</a>. </p>
<p>This new law has been divisive, with <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/don-t-be-intimidated-canada-pass-bill-c-18-the-online-news-act/article_3919b0f7-68ea-5393-bae0-21d170e59134.html">some lauding it as vital for preserving quality journalism</a> and others arguing it’s a misguided approach, <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/maxbellschool/max-policy/c-18">advocating alternative methods to achieve similar goals</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1693837916710269236"}"></div></p>
<h2>Social media plays a vital role</h2>
<p>Meta’s news block is significant because it affects both Facebook and Instagram. </p>
<p>Although Meta has claimed “<a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2023/05/metas-position-on-canadas-online-news-act/">users don’t come to us for news</a>,” there is little doubt that social media is an indispensable tool for many to stay connected on current events and to share information among friends and family — especially during emergencies.</p>
<p>Studies have shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003043409">social media is vital for disseminating crucial information to the public</a> during crisis situations. The ongoing block on news in Canada has made this sharing difficult. </p>
<p>Even with declared states of emergency in both the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, Meta has made no changes to its policy.</p>
<p>News and critical updates are still accessible by going directly to news publishers’ websites. For example, the Cabin Radio website, based in the Northwest Territories, remains a dependable and <a href="https://cabinradio.ca/143992/news/yellowknife/guide-to-financial-assistance-and-other-supports-for-nwt-evacuees/">frequently updated information source for citizens</a>, even though it is blocked on Facebook and Instagram. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People in a long lineup with luggage in a parking lot." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544003/original/file-20230822-25-4ikzip.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544003/original/file-20230822-25-4ikzip.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544003/original/file-20230822-25-4ikzip.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544003/original/file-20230822-25-4ikzip.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544003/original/file-20230822-25-4ikzip.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544003/original/file-20230822-25-4ikzip.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544003/original/file-20230822-25-4ikzip.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People without vehicles line up to register for a flight to Calgary in Yellowknife on Aug. 17, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Braden</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>‘Free-to-air’ broadcast radio</h2>
<p>Other citizens have resorted to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/nwt-wildfire-evacuation-meta-blocking-news-1.6939286">taking screenshots of news stories and then sharing these with their social networks on Meta’s platforms</a>.</p>
<p>In more extreme scenarios, such as when fires disrupt critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, <a href="https://cabinradio.ca/140733/news/environment/wildfires/communications-down-in-a-dozen-nwt-communities/">internet accessibility is compromised in many communities</a> (except perhaps for those with satellite-based services). This underscores <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1550147719829">the fragility of internet-dependent communications during emergencies</a>.</p>
<p>In the realms of engineering and emergency planning, the term “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveandriole/2021/07/16/too-many-single-points-of-failure-threaten-our-digital-infrastructures----theyre-multiplying/?sh=109cd0761317">single point of failure</a>” describes situations in which an entire system stops working when a lone component fails. Relying exclusively on social media or the internet exposes us to a kind of single-point of failure in our emergency communications system.</p>
<p>In fact, reading about the Meta news block may lead people to mistakenly assume that social media is the <em>only</em> source of information on the current wildfire situation in N.W.T. and Kelowna. </p>
<p>It’s not. We should not overlook the significance of “free-to-air” broadcast radio in delivering reliable and trustworthy information to citizens.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Cranes feed on a beach in a hazy smoke." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544007/original/file-20230822-23-9p1541.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544007/original/file-20230822-23-9p1541.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544007/original/file-20230822-23-9p1541.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544007/original/file-20230822-23-9p1541.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544007/original/file-20230822-23-9p1541.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544007/original/file-20230822-23-9p1541.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544007/original/file-20230822-23-9p1541.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heavy smoke from nearby wildfires fills the sky as sandhill cranes feed with houseboats in the distance in Yellowknife on Aug. 15, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Angela Gzowski</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Variety of media sources</h2>
<p>Broadcast radio has persevered, ensuring critical updates reach citizens. </p>
<p>During emergencies especially, “free-to-air” radio is a dependable and easily accessible source of timely information, particularly when internet and phone networks falter and when people are on the move, travelling between urban centres where there may be no internet service.</p>
<p>It’s not a matter of choosing between one or the other, but rather ensuring we don’t underestimate the lasting relevance of free-to-air radio as a form of “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1572329">complementary redundancy</a>.” This concept underscores the importance of relying on a blend of highly reliable systems like broadcast radio combined with the internet and social media. </p>
<p>The two systems can work hand-in-hand. The internet and social media may be somewhat less reliable during a crisis, but can nonetheless be exceptionally effective at sharing a rich variety of media content, including maps and interactive exchanges of information. This includes user-generated updates when there are no reporters or local media on the scene.</p>
<h2>Highly reliable news source</h2>
<p>As we look forward, we should not let our reliance on social media overshadow the continuing significance of free-to-air broadcast radio as a cost-effective, highly reliable information source. </p>
<p>AM radio, in particular, continues to <a href="https://www.agcanada.com/daily/potential-loss-of-am-radio-in-vehicles-a-concern-for-farmers">play an important role for farmers and others in remote areas</a> for market and weather reports, as well as emergency updates. </p>
<p>Recent decisions by several automobile manufacturers <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/05/13/am-radio-electric-cars/">to phase out AM radio from cars</a> has some lawmakers in the United States concerned. And as a result, a new <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1669">bipartisan bill to ensure AM radio remains a standard feature in all new cars has been proposed</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1658857970040487942"}"></div></p>
<p>We’ve come to rely on social media as a vital source of information during emergency events.</p>
<p>But Meta’s continued ban on news in Canada during the wildfire events in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia serves as a reminder of the enduring value of free-to-air broadcast radio, even in the digital age.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211966/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gordon A. Gow receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p>Social media has been vital for disseminating information during crises, but with Facebook’s ban of news in Canada, old-school media, especially radio, is critically important.Gordon A. Gow, Professor, Sociology/Media & Technology Studies, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2096522023-08-03T12:22:20Z2023-08-03T12:22:20ZHeadlines and front lines: How US news coverage of wars in Yemen and Ukraine reveals a bias in recording civilian harm<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539048/original/file-20230724-27-ct2t0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The U.S. has provided Ukraine more than $75 billion in military and other aid to support its war efforts.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-joe-biden-and-ukrainian-president-volodomyr-news-photo/1534873306">Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>War entails suffering. How and how often that suffering is reported on in the U.S., however, is not evenhanded.</p>
<p>Take, for example, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/yemen-understanding-the-conflict-98296">Saudi-led intervention in Yemen</a> in March 2015 and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/russia-invades-ukraine-5-essential-reads-from-experts-177815">Russian invasion of Ukraine</a> in February 2022. The media attention afforded to the crises reveals biases that relate less to the human consequences of the conflicts than to the United States’ role and relationship with the warring parties involved.</p>
<p>In Yemen, the <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2019/03/19/who-is-arming-the-yemen-war-an-update/">U.S. is arming</a> and <a href="https://quincyinst.org/report/the-yemen-war-in-numbers-saudi-escalation-and-u-s-complicity/">supporting the Saudi-led coalition</a>, whose airstrikes and blockades have caused immense human suffering. Meanwhile in Eastern Europe, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/31/russia-ukraine-war-us-arms-package">U.S. is arming</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/us/politics/russia-generals-killed-ukraine.html">aiding Ukraine’s efforts</a> by helping to counter missile strikes that have targeted civilian infrastructure and to retake occupied territories where <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/04/russia-bucha-killings-war-crimes-genocide/629470/">horrific killings</a> have taken place.</p>
<p>As scholars who study <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=tQr7IA0AAAAJ&hl=en">genocide and other mass atrocities</a>, as well as <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=es&user=CNHYRTIAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">international security</a>, we compared New York Times headlines that span approximately seven and a half years of the ongoing conflict in Yemen and the first nine months of the conflict in Ukraine. </p>
<p>We paid particular attention to headlines on civilian casualties, food security and provision of arms. We chose The New York Times <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/272790/circulation-of-the-biggest-daily-newspapers-in-the-us/">because of its popularity</a> and reputation as a <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/239784/credibility-of-major-news-organizations-in-the-us/">credible and influential source</a> on international news, with an <a href="https://www.nytco.com/journalism/journalists-on-the-ground/#:%7E:text=Our%201%2C700%20journalists%20report%20from,and%20celebrations%20of%20human%20achievement.">extensive network</a> of global reporters and over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/pulitzer-winners-new-york-times">130 Pulitzer Prizes</a>. </p>
<p>Purposefully, our analysis focused solely on headlines. While the full stories may bring greater context to the reporting, headlines are particularly important for three reasons: They frame the story in a way that <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/headlines-change-way-think">affects how it is read and remembered</a>; reflect <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2022.2138946">the publication’s ideological stance on an issue</a>; and, for many news consumers, are the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/03/19/americans-read-headlines-and-not-much-else/">only part of the story that is read</a> at all.</p>
<p>Our research shows extensive biases in both the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2023.2228715">scale and tone of coverage</a>. These biases lead to reporting that highlights or downplays human suffering in the two conflicts in a way that seemingly coincides with U.S. foreign policy objectives.</p>
<h2>Ukraine in spotlight</h2>
<p>War in Ukraine is clearly seen as more newsworthy to U.S. readers. This double standard may have less to do with the actual events than that the victims are white and “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/27/western-media-coverage-ukraine-russia-invasion-criticism">relatively European</a>,” as one CBS News correspondent put it. </p>
<p>Our broad search of New York Times headlines concerning the overall civilian impact of the two conflicts yielded 546 stories on Yemen between March 26, 2015, and Nov. 30, 2022. Headlines on Ukraine passed that mark in under three months and then doubled it within nine months.</p>
<p>Front-page stories on Ukraine have been commonplace ever since the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/world/russia-ukraine-invasion-putin-biden.html">Russian invasion</a> began in February 2022. In comparison, front-page stories on Yemen have been rare and, in some cases, as with coverage on food security in the country, came more than three years after the coalition initiated blockades that led to the crisis. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Protesters wrap themselves in a Ukrainian flag and hold signs that say 'Fight like Ukrainian' and 'Russia is a terrorist state'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539986/original/file-20230728-21-677g37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protesters in New York City call for more U.S. aid to Ukraine to help defeat Russia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/protesters-gathered-on-union-square-in-support-of-ukraine-news-photo/1381627299">Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first front-page article with explicit focus on the hunger crisis was published on June 14, 2018, with the headline “Saudi-Led Attack Deepens the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis.” By this point, 14 million Yemenis were already facing “<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2018/11/bachelet-urges-states-power-and-influence-end-starvation-killing-civilians?LangID=E&NewsID=23855">catastrophic food insecurity</a>,” according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. </p>
<h2>More context on Ukraine</h2>
<p>When we analyzed headlines on Yemen and Ukraine, we classified them as either “episodic,” meaning focused on specific events, or “thematic,” meaning more contextual. An example of an episodic headline is “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/world/middleeast/apparent-saudi-strike-kills-at-least-nine-in-yemeni-family.html">Apparent Saudi Strike Kills at Least Nine in Yemeni Family</a>.” An example of a thematic headline is “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/05/27/world/russia-ukraine-war">Ferocious Russian Attacks Spur Accusations of Genocide in Ukraine</a>.”</p>
<p>New York Times headlines on Yemen were mostly focused on events, accounting for 64% of all headlines. In contrast, headlines on Ukraine involved a greater emphasis on context, accounting for 73% of total articles. The reason this is important is that by focusing more on either episodic or contextualized stories, newspapers are able to lead readers to different interpretations.</p>
<p>The largely episodic headlines on Yemen may give the impression that the harm reported is incidental, rather than symptomatic of the coalition’s violence. Meanwhile, contextual articles on Ukraine trace the broader implications of the conflict and reflect stories of continual Russian responsibility and accountability.</p>
<h2>Differences in assigning blame</h2>
<p>Accountability in coverage is also vastly different. We found 50 headlines on Yemen that reported on specific attacks carried out by the Saudi-led coalition. Of them, 18 – just 36% – attributed responsibility to Saudi Arabia or the coalition. An egregious example that omits responsibility is this headline from April 24, 2018: “Yemen Strike Hits Wedding and Kills More Than 20.” A reader could easily interpret that as meaning that Yemen rebels were behind the attack rather than the Saudis – as was the case.</p>
<p>It is hard to imagine a Russian strike on a wedding in Ukraine headlined as “Ukraine Strike Hits Wedding and Kills More Than 20.”</p>
<p>Over the period we looked at, there were 54 headlines on specific attacks in Ukraine – 50 of which reported on Russian attacks, with the remaining four reporting on Ukrainian attacks. Here, of the 50 headlines about Russian attacks, 44 of them – or 88% – explicitly attributed responsibility to Russia. Meanwhile, none of the four headlines on Ukrainian attacks attributed responsibility to Ukraine. This shows the selectivity of responsibility attribution – clear in Ukraine when covering Russia’s actions, but often obscured when it comes to the Saudi-led coalition’s attacks in Yemen.</p>
<p>Furthermore, a June 2017 headline portrays the coalition as concerned about the destruction it has caused: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-arms-training-yemen.html">Saudis Move to Address Civilian Toll in Yemen</a>.” Compare this to how Russia’s attempts to address civilians are categorically dismissed: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/russian-civilian-attacks-ukraine.html">Russia’s Explanations for Attacking Civilians Wither Under Scrutiny</a>.”</p>
<h2>A tale of two humanitarian crises</h2>
<p>Both invasions have led to situations of food insecurity – in Yemen creating a <a href="https://api.godocs.wfp.org/api/documents/25f57d2bbfa54e41ae3fc1e5c4216f0b/download/?_ga=2.41222050.1090321873.1690389264-401591055.1690389264">national risk of famine</a>, and in Ukraine compromising <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/war-ukraine-global-food-shortage/31872861.html">global grain supply</a>. However, the way the news stories speak about hunger in both countries has little in common. </p>
<p>Russian actions blocking grain exports and destroying crops and agricultural infrastructure are portrayed as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/world/europe/russia-ukraine-food-supply.html">deliberate and weaponized</a>: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/world/europe/mariupol-ukraine-russia-war-food-water.html">How Russia Is Using Ukrainians’ Hunger as a Weapon of War</a>.”</p>
<p>In contrast, the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade, despite being the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/07/yemen-coalition-blockade-imperils-civilians">primary driver</a> <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/08/saudi-arabia-and-the-united-arab-emirates-are-starving-yemenis-to-death-mbs-khashoggi-famine-yemen-blockade-houthis/">of the famine</a> and even <a href="https://www.omct.org/site-resources/files/Torture-in-slow-motion_September-2022.pdf">equated to torture</a> by the World Organisation Against Torture, was rarely afforded this intent. In fact, coverage of the hunger crisis often did not mention the coalition at all, such as in this March 31, 2021, headline: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/world/middleeast/yemen-famine-war.html#:%7E:text=Six%20years%20into%20a%20war,vulnerable%20to%20disease%20and%20starvation">Famine Stalks Yemen, as War Drags on and Foreign Aid Wanes</a>.” </p>
<p>Out of 73 stories broadly about food security in Yemen, only four unequivocally attributed rising starvation to the actions of the coalition and condemned their role. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mother holds her baby who receives medical treatment" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539985/original/file-20230728-16043-styjwb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A child suffering from malnutrition receives treatment at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/child-suffering-from-malnutrition-is-being-treated-with-news-photo/1258305665">Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Moral outrage vs. neutrality</h2>
<p>Headlines on Ukraine tend to invoke moral judgments, we found, compared with a more neutral tone on Yemen. Russia is portrayed as a violent, relentless and merciless villain: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/world/europe/ukraine-russia-putin.html">Russian Forces Pound Civilians …</a>” and “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/world/russia-ukraine-invasion-putin-biden.html">Russia Batters Ukraine …</a>.” In turn, Ukrainians are presented as heroes who are fighting for the survival of their nation, and they are humanized in their suffering: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/world/europe/ukraine-family-perebyinis-kyiv.html">They Died by a Bridge in Ukraine. This Is Their Story</a>.”</p>
<p>This moral positioning on the conflict in Ukraine is not necessarily a problem. After all, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/11/public-editor/the-truth-about-false-balance.html">falsely equating</a> Ukraine’s actions with those of Russia fails to account for Russian aggression, which initiated the armed conflict, as well as Russia’s routine targeting of civilian sites. </p>
<p>However, it is noteworthy that New York Times headlines on Yemen fail to employ similarly condemnatory narratives toward the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. This is despite reports produced by <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde31/2291/2015/en/">human rights</a> <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/06/30/targeting-saada/unlawful-coalition-airstrikes-saada-city-yemen">organizations</a>, <a href="https://yemendataproject.org/">conflict</a> <a href="https://acleddata.com/middle-east/yemen/">trackers</a>, and <a href="https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/39/43">international and regional experts</a> that have blamed the coalition for the vast majority of civilian suffering. </p>
<p>As a consequence, Yemeni civilians become forgotten victims, unworthy of attention and obscured by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/world/middleeast/yemen-famine-war.html#:%7E:text=Six%20years%20into%20a%20war,vulnerable%20to%20disease%20and%20starvation">opaque numbers</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/16/world/middleeast/yemen-doctors-without-borders-hospital-bombing.html#:%7E:text=Bombing%20of%20Doctors%20Without%20Borders%20Hospital%20in%20Yemen%20Kills%20at%20Least%2015,-Give%20this%20article&text=SANA%2C%20Yemen%20%E2%80%94%20At%20least%2015,and%20local%20health%20ministry%20officials.">detached language</a> on the consequences of coalition violence, and narratives of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-biden.html#:%7E:text=War%20in%20Yemen.-,Ending%20the%20War%20Is%20Harder.,bombs%20are%20no%20longer%20used.">inevitability of war</a>. These editorial decisions obscure the role of the U.S. in Yemeni suffering – even if they do not reflect the underlying intent behind the reporting. </p>
<h2>Journalism of deference</h2>
<p>In both the Yemen and Ukraine conflicts, the U.S. has spent tens of billions of dollars – more than <a href="https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine-here-are-six-charts">US$75 billion</a> in humanitarian, financial and military assistance to Ukraine and over <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105988">$54 billion</a> in military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between 2015 and 2021 alone.</p>
<p>What’s different is that the U.S. is essentially on opposite sides in these conflicts when it comes to its relationship to those inflicting the most civilian casualties. Washington officials have made open and direct declarations about the inhumanity of atrocities in Ukraine while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/us/politics/saudi-yemen-war-us-weapons.html">avoiding inquiry and condemnation</a> of those in Yemen. Our research suggests that such messaging may be supported by the news media.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209652/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An analysis of over 1,000 headlines shows key differences in how US media portray the aggressors and victims in the two conflicts.Esther Brito Ruiz, Adjunct Instructor, American University School of International ServiceJeff Bachman, Professorial Lecturer in Human Rights; Director, Ethics, Peace, and Human Rights MA Program, American University School of International ServiceLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2081582023-06-20T20:05:31Z2023-06-20T20:05:31ZCanadians are losing their appetite for news — and trusting it less<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533006/original/file-20230620-23-onav3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C23%2C5168%2C3414&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new report suggests Canadians are avoiding the news more and less willing to pay subscription fees.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Canadians have less appetite for news and are less inclined to pay for news online, according to the latest findings from the <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2023">2023 Digital News Report survey</a> by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf">Digital News Report</a>, conducted by an international team of scholars, is one of the most comprehensive surveys about digital news consumption around the world. It’s based on a survey of more than 90,000 online news consumers in 46 countries, including Canada — covering half of the world’s population. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cem.ulaval.ca/publications/dnr-2023-canada-eng/">new data on Canadian news habits</a> shows payment for online news or access to paid services (via a library, for example), which had been growing slowly in recent years, slipped by four percentage points — from 15 per cent in 2022 to 11 per cent in 2023. This is the first decline since 2016, when Canadian data was first collected, and the lowest result since 2019.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graph that shows the percentage of Canadians who are paying for news from 2016-23" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532984/original/file-20230620-27-n7wm1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There was a drop in the number of Canadians who are paying for news in 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters Institute/Oxford University, Centre d'études sur les médias</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Canadians also seem less and less interested in news: 80 per cent say they’re interested in news in 2023, a drop of six percentage points since 2021. However, fewer say they actively avoid the news (63 per cent) compared to 2022 (71 per cent). </p>
<h2>Social media less used for news</h2>
<p>In this context of relative disinterest in news, and while <a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/meta-may-end-facebook-instagram-news-content-in-canada-over-act-1.1917262">Meta is reducing the importance its platforms place on news content</a>, more Canadians say they did not access news via social media in the week preceding the survey. This share rose from 26 per cent to 36 per cent between 2022 and 2023 — the highest result since 2018.</p>
<p>All major social media platforms are down with the exception of Twitter, which remains stable at 11 per cent for this first survey since its acquisition by Tesla founder Elon Musk. Facebook remains the most used social media when interacting with the news, at 29 per cent, but down 11 percentage points from 2022 (40 per cent) and by far its lowest result since 2016.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graph that shows a breakdown of news consumption by Canadians over several social media channels" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532991/original/file-20230620-19-4awt22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Facebook remains the most popular social media channel for news among Canadians, although more people say they aren’t using social media for news.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters Institute/Oxford University, Centre d'études sur les médias</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Still, one in four Canadians gets news primarily from social media. Television news shows remain the main source of information for the largest number of respondents (40 per cent), followed by websites and news apps (27 per cent). Those figures are the same as last year.</p>
<p>Mobile phones remain the most popular device for consulting news online, used by one in two people (52 per cent) in the week preceding the survey. But this number is down nine percentage points from 2022. This is the lowest result since 2019, which seems consistent with declining interest in current affairs and less contact with news on social media.</p>
<h2>Trust continues to decline</h2>
<p>Trust in the news continues its slow descent among the country’s anglophones: 37 per cent say they trust most news, most of the time. For French-speaking Canadians, this confidence is higher (49 per cent) and up slightly from a year ago (47 per cent in 2022). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graph measuring trust in media from 2016-23" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532996/original/file-20230620-17-7bdfcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trust in news media is continuing to decline, although francophones in Canada trust the news more than anglophones.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters Institute/Oxford University, Centre d'études sur les médias</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Francophones more optimistic</h2>
<p>As in previous years, Canadian francophones show an overall more positive view of their news ecosystem than anglophones, perhaps due to the language barrier and the francophone market being less oriented towards foreign media.</p>
<p>In addition to a more generalized confidence in the news, one of many examples is the level of concern about the possibility of sorting out the truth from the false online. This concern is much less widespread among francophones (47 per cent) than anglophones (65 per cent). French-speaking Canadians are also more likely to rate both algorithms and news professionals favourably as intermediaries for news access. </p>
<p>The Digital News Report looks extensively into people’s perceptions of having social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google push news stories to readers based on their past habits. In Canada, 29 per cent of francophones and 25 per cent of anglophones find algorithms based on past consumption “a good way” to access news. </p>
<p>Canadians were slightly more skeptical about news stories selected by editors and journalists at media outlets — 26 per cent of francophones and 19 per cent of anglophones agree that having stories selected by editors and journalists is a good way to get news. All of these figures are down by around 10 percentage points since 2016. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three pie charts which break down responses by all Canadians, as well as anglophone and francophone, to the question 'In your opinion, how important, or not, are publicly funded news services to society?'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533002/original/file-20230620-19-egjrfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Almost half of the Canadians surveyed felt publicly funded news services were important to society.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters Institute/Oxford University, Centre d'études sur les médias</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In these challenging times for the country’s news ecosystem, publicly funded news services are not widely seen as part of the problem. </p>
<p>More than half of francophones (54 per cent) and 45 per cent of anglophones believe in the importance to society of publicly funded news outlets, such as CBC and Radio-Canada. Only 13 per cent of francophones and 20 per cent of anglophones feel they are not important, with the remainder either in between or refusing to comment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208158/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sébastien Charlton works for the Centre d'études sur les médias, which is the Canadian partner of the Digital News Reports. Canadian data collection was partly funded by Canadian Heritage. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colette Brin's work is funded in part by the Quebec government's Ministry of Culture and Communications and Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture. The Canadian edition of the Digital News Report is funded by Canadian Heritage through News Media Canada. Prof. Brin is Director of Centre d'études sur les médias, an independent non-profit research unit hosted at Université Laval in partnership with Université de Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal. She is also Chairperson of the Independent Advisory Board on Eligibility for Journalism Tax Measures in collaboration with the Canada Revenue Agency</span></em></p>A new study of digital news consumption shows Canadians are avoiding the news more and trusting it less —especially in English Canada.Sébastien Charlton, Lecturer, Department of Information and Communication, Université LavalColette Brin, Professor and Director, Centre d'études sur les médias, Université LavalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2062512023-06-04T11:19:15Z2023-06-04T11:19:15ZCanada should look to its past and Europe for guidance on media policy — but not south<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528960/original/file-20230530-8555-7cvlkt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C35%2C6000%2C3925&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada needs to look back on its history of establishing the CBC to avoid its media landscape going the route of its neighbour to the south.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Rod Flores/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Seventy years ago, <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/37-2/HERI/report-2/page-54">Canadian leaders turned away</a> from the British model of media policy that rejected advertising-supported private broadcasting. </p>
<p>While it’s gone well for a few private corporations, it hasn’t benefited the Canadian public. And the future heralds an even more dangerous American-style media landscape here in Canada.</p>
<p>Canadian leaders once understood the importance and even the potential danger of media to the public. Those lessons need to be remembered. The honourable early history of media policy in Canada needs to be embraced anew.</p>
<h2>Aird Commission findings</h2>
<p>In 1928, <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/472642/publication.html">the Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting, also known as the Aird Commission</a>, was created to consider alternative models for the future of Canadian broadcasting. </p>
<p>It was led by Sir John Aird, the president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. As media scholar Marc Raboy writes in his comprehensive history of Canadian broadcasting, <a href="https://www.mqup.ca/missed-opportunities-products-9780773507432.php"><em>Missed Opportunities</em></a>, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was established because of public pressure that came from a broad coalition of civic organizations that made up the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1676675341">Canadian Radio League</a>. </p>
<p>The Aird Commission found much to be alarmed about regarding radio. As <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/372/HERI/Reports/RP1032284/herirp02/herirp02-e.pdf">Aird stated in 1932</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I have watched — naturally I felt it my duty to watch — the program and the material that was coming over the air, and much of it is of the most objectionable character … what I object to most strongly is the character of the ribald songs and vulgar dialogues regarding robberies, burglaries, hold-ups of banks and things like that.” </p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A black and white photo of two farmers sitting in a living room listening to a large wooden radio with a bullhorn attached." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528958/original/file-20230530-15-9ga0mu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528958/original/file-20230530-15-9ga0mu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528958/original/file-20230530-15-9ga0mu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528958/original/file-20230530-15-9ga0mu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528958/original/file-20230530-15-9ga0mu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528958/original/file-20230530-15-9ga0mu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528958/original/file-20230530-15-9ga0mu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A farmer and his son listen to the radio in the mid-1920s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The commissioners listened to radio around the world and heard the concerns of various communities with access to the medium. They consistently heard complaints about content, but also about advertising. </p>
<p>As a result of its research, the Aird Commission <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/pub?id=472642&sl=0">proposed a publicly owned corporation</a> not unlike the British Broadcasting Corporation (the BBC). It argued the new medium of radio should be regarded as a national public service rather than a profit-making industry, and its ownership and operating structure should be organized to recognize this principle.</p>
<h2>Creation of the CBC/Radio-Canada</h2>
<p>In 1936, the <a href="https://canadianlabour.ca/uncategorized/twilh-cbc-founded-november-2-1936/">Canadian Broadcasting Act</a> created the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada as a Crown corporation funded through fees known as receiver set licences (initially $2.50 per licence) with limited financing from advertising.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/richard-bedford-viscount-bennett">Richard Bedford Bennett, the Conservative prime minister</a> of Canada who had the unfortunate task of attempting to unite a divided and economically struggling country through the Great Depression of the 1930s, pushed the CBC through its parliamentary hurdles. </p>
<p><a href="https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC1703_03">Bennett proclaimed</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“This country must be assured of complete Canadian control of broadcasting from Canadian sources. Without such control, broadcasting can never be the agency by which national consciousness may be fostered and sustained and national unity still further strengthened.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In addition to telling the Canadian story to the booming cities of Vancouver, Montréal and Toronto, the CBC was tasked with reaching remote and isolated rural and maritime communities, providing both national and local voices reflecting Canada and in two languages: English and French. Canada’s vast territory and multilingual character made the CBC one of the world’s most far-reaching and complex public broadcasters. </p>
<p>Yet the Aird Commission recommendation that private broadcasting should be fully replaced by public broadcasting never happened. </p>
<p>The British model of public service media funded through receiver licence fees was eventually abandoned in 1953, and CBC funding would be tied to the shifting sands of <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CHPC/StudyActivity?studyActivityId=3699874">parliamentary funding</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A red and white circular logo is projected on a screen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528962/original/file-20230530-24-kf5nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528962/original/file-20230530-24-kf5nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528962/original/file-20230530-24-kf5nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528962/original/file-20230530-24-kf5nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528962/original/file-20230530-24-kf5nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528962/original/file-20230530-24-kf5nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528962/original/file-20230530-24-kf5nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The CBC logo is projected onto a screen during the CBC’s annual upfront presentation in Toronto in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Cuts to the CBC</h2>
<p>In 1984, the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney made <a href="https://legacy.friends.ca/explore/article/change-in-parliamentary-appropriation-to-cbc-in-2014/">significant cuts</a> to the CBC, and <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/globe-politics-insider/cbc-funding-history-over-time/article17898560/">those cuts increased under the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien</a>.</p>
<p>Make no mistake — the BBC has more than its share of problems. While it’s <a href="https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/short-history-british-tv-advertising">thrived without advertising</a>, it has been under pressure, losing some of its audience to private commercial broadcasting (which began in 1955) and from political pressure exerted by both Labor and Tory administrations. Yet, the BBC <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/bbc-under-scrutiny-heres-what-research-tells-about-its-role-uk">dominate broadcast and online news</a> in the U.K. The CBC has not fared as well.</p>
<p>Budget cuts to the CBC, often fuelled by partisan politics, have wrought havoc. The Windsor CBC station I watched as a child growing up in Detroit was once a profitable Canadian production powerhouse, but it cancelled popular local programming and slashed the news operation. </p>
<p>In 1990, because of further budget cuts, CBC closed down the station’s news department, spurring street protests from thousands of Windsor citizens.</p>
<p>A “<a href="https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/transcripts/1999/tb0318d.htm">Save Our Station</a>” committee was formed to pressure both CBC and the Canadian government to preserve the Windsor operation. Some limited news service was established because of these protests, but other communities once served by the CBC had no such luck.</p>
<p>Private broadcaster CTV <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/02673231211014986a">has eclipsed</a> the CBC as Canada’s most-watched television network. And according to the independent media database IMDb, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0080139">CTV’s top programs</a> are all American productions; mainly police and medical dramas.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A blonde woman sits in front of a TV screen that says Nashville with the CTV logo at the bottom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528967/original/file-20230530-27-6hdgbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528967/original/file-20230530-27-6hdgbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528967/original/file-20230530-27-6hdgbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528967/original/file-20230530-27-6hdgbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528967/original/file-20230530-27-6hdgbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528967/original/file-20230530-27-6hdgbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528967/original/file-20230530-27-6hdgbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">American-produced shows have long been CTV’s most-watched.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The European way</h2>
<p>Europe suggests a better path. <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/news/2022/01/protect-public-service-media-to-protect-democracy">A recent study</a> by the European Broadcasting Union shows a strong correlation between a country’s democratic well-being and robust public service media, including online media. </p>
<p>Social media policy in the United States has generated echo chambers of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-021-09734-6">misinformation and conspiracy</a> and has certainly not curtailed the erosion of civic knowledge. <a href="https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-civics-knowledge-drops-on-first-amendment-and-branches-of-government/%22%22">A 2022 study</a> by the Annenberg Public Policy Center reveals that while many Americans are angry about politics, less than half of those surveyed understood the basics of U.S. government.</p>
<p>And in Canada? According to <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/2729/social-networking-in-canada/">Statista</a>, Canada is one of the world’s most connected online populations, with a social media penetration rate of 89 per cent of the Canadian population.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://reviewlution.ca/resources/canadian-social-media-statistics/">most popular</a> media sites in Canada are also U.S.-based — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A protester holds a sign of Justin Trudeau's face behind bars." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A protester holds an anti-Trudeau sign near Parliament Hill in Ottawa.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>U.S.-based, advertising-driven social media sites designed to stoke outrage are not creating more informed Canadians. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/social-mediea-convoy-protests-emergencies-act-inquiry-1.6668543">The actions of the so-called Freedom Convoy</a> illustrates this phenomenon.</p>
<p>And, unfortunately, similar to American civic illiteracy, a recent <a href="http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/2990/canada-day-2019/">Forum Research Poll</a> suggests only one in 10 Canadians would pass the Canadian citizenship exam. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-legal-disinformation-pandemic-is-exposed-by-the-freedom-convoy-176522">Canada’s legal disinformation pandemic is exposed by the 'freedom convoy'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Looking ahead</h2>
<p>The future of advertising-driven media does not bode well for democracy. Even <a href="https://thehill.com/newsletters/technology/4007422-chatgpt-chief-issues-ai-warning/">Silicon Valley leaders are warning</a> against a laissez-faire U.S. policy approach in terms of generative artificial intelligence/large language models like ChatGPT.</p>
<p>The American threat to Canada continues not because of U.S. power, but because Canadian leaders have not put in place policies to foster and protect Canadian democracy.</p>
<p>Civic organizations of all stripes need to come together to demand a new approach to media that’s informed by lessons from Canada’s past and by the obvious mistakes evident south of the border.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Lloyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A hundred years ago, civic organizations of all stripes came together to demand a new Canadian approach to media policy. Canada has done it before — it must do so again.Mark Lloyd, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2057272023-05-31T17:29:25Z2023-05-31T17:29:25ZMr. Associated Press: How 20th-century journalism titan Kent Cooper transformed the news industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528660/original/file-20230526-27-yc2h9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kent Cooper worked for the Associated Press for over four decades, changing the news media landscape in the process.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On the day of Kent Cooper’s funeral in February 1965, the flow of news through the international Associated Press network — the institution he spent a 40-year career building — came to a complete stop. </p>
<p>In scores of AP bureaus and thousands of newsrooms around the world, the printers that hammered out the news fell silent. </p>
<p>This tribute to a man who changed the kind of news millions of readers and listeners relied on, and opened the way for its global spread, lasted only a minute before the torrent of news resumed.</p>
<p>But it was AP’s highest honour, a vivid testimony to the institutional importance of the man widely known to journalists in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa as K.C.</p>
<p>Almost a century after Cooper became AP’s general manager, what can we learn from his career and the development of the institution he led? And what does it tell us about how journalism — including the international news system — evolved during the mid-20th century?</p>
<p>And what light might his career shed on today’s troubled news landscape, where organizations like Fox News systematically spread falsehoods that <a href="https://www.salon.com/2023/02/22/fox-insiders-admit-even-fox-viewers-dont-trust-fox_partner/">even its own employees do not believe</a>? </p>
<h2>Human-interest news</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A book cover with a middle-aged white man in a suit on the cover and a black-and-white photograph of a newsroom in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529184/original/file-20230530-25-ddsjqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529184/original/file-20230530-25-ddsjqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529184/original/file-20230530-25-ddsjqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529184/original/file-20230530-25-ddsjqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529184/original/file-20230530-25-ddsjqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529184/original/file-20230530-25-ddsjqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529184/original/file-20230530-25-ddsjqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Book cover for ‘Mr. Associated Press: Kent Cooper and the Twentieth-Century World of News.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(University of Illinois Press)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>During Cooper’s long tenure as a senior executive, general manager and executive director — as documented in <em><a href="https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p087233">Mr. Associated Press</a></em>, my newly published biography of him — he changed AP, and the news that its readers and listeners depended on, in three major ways. </p>
<p>First, driven by competition with the United Press, AP’s great rival, Cooper loosened the strictures that made AP news colourless and dull (even if widely recognized for its accuracy and impartiality).</p>
<p>Editors of AP member newspapers were turning to the livelier and breezier (and, according to some AP supporters, less accurate) stories provided by UP. That could not be allowed to continue. </p>
<p>Cooper responded by embracing human-interest stories, entertainment, sports and other less traditionally newsworthy subjects. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A black-and-white photo of a baseball player finishing a swing after hitting a pitch" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528669/original/file-20230526-21-zoasdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528669/original/file-20230526-21-zoasdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528669/original/file-20230526-21-zoasdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528669/original/file-20230526-21-zoasdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528669/original/file-20230526-21-zoasdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528669/original/file-20230526-21-zoasdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528669/original/file-20230526-21-zoasdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New York Yankees’ Joe DiMaggio hits a solo home run in Game 5 of the World Series at the Polo Grounds in New York in October 1937. Cooper embraced less traditionally newsworthy subjects, like sports, during his tenure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“If one man fails to file a story of a millionairess marrying a poor factory hand because that man understands such a story is not properly A.P. stuff,” Cooper wrote in 1922, “such an error of news judgment ought to be generally made known to other employees.” </p>
<p>Journalism had to succeed in the market by offering readers what they wanted to read, rather than what journalists <em>thought</em> they ought to read.</p>
<h2>Moving beyond North America</h2>
<p>The second major change — one that Cooper spent more than 15 years fighting for — was loosening restrictions that prevented AP from distributing news outside North America. These restrictions were a product of AP’s earlier reliance on the British agency Reuters and its allies for almost all its international news. </p>
<p>While many AP directors considered the Reuters connection an essential foundation of AP’s dominance of the U.S. newspaper market, Cooper insisted AP could succeed on its own. By doing so, AP could also change its relationships with European news agencies that were often controlled or heavily subsidized by their respective governments. </p>
<p>By 1945, his campaign had succeeded: AP was poised to sell North American-style news everywhere in the world with virtually no restrictions. This development gave readers in other countries access to a different kind of journalism than they were familiar with. It also raised questions about American influence beyond its borders that remain relevant today. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A black-and-white photo of journalists working in a newsroom" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528668/original/file-20230526-17-6lc99m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528668/original/file-20230526-17-6lc99m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528668/original/file-20230526-17-6lc99m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528668/original/file-20230526-17-6lc99m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528668/original/file-20230526-17-6lc99m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528668/original/file-20230526-17-6lc99m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528668/original/file-20230526-17-6lc99m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Staffers work on election night at the Washington bureau of the Associated Press on Nov. 3, 1964.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In his relentless pursuit of expansion, Cooper sometimes conveniently set aside his public opposition to government-subsidized or government-controlled news. For instance, he maintained close connections with the Nazi-controlled German news agency Deutsches Nachrichtenbüro after 1934, and consistently played down limits on <a href="https://www.ap.org/about/history/ap-in-germany-1933-1945">the work of international correspondents in Germany</a>. </p>
<p>Despite Cooper’s failure to denounce Nazi press restrictions, AP wasn’t actively involved in spreading German propaganda. Its alliance with Deutsches Nachrichtenbüro ended after Germany declared war on the United States in December 1941.</p>
<p>Cooper also established an alliance with the Japanese news agency Rengo, despite knowing it was heavily subsidized by Japan’s militaristic and imperialist government.</p>
<p>The trade-off between access and acceptance of limits by authoritarian regimes on what can be reported remains a major problem for journalists today, as is the case with <a href="https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/china-foreign-journalists-face-travel-restrictions-harassment">Western news organizations in China</a>.</p>
<h2>Embracing technology</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A black-and-white photo of a man operating a wire service machine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528667/original/file-20230526-21-fbg6z6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528667/original/file-20230526-21-fbg6z6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=742&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528667/original/file-20230526-21-fbg6z6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=742&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528667/original/file-20230526-21-fbg6z6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=742&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528667/original/file-20230526-21-fbg6z6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=933&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528667/original/file-20230526-21-fbg6z6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=933&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528667/original/file-20230526-21-fbg6z6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=933&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">AP Wirephoto operator Harold King demonstrates transmission equipment at Associated Press headquarters in New York, circa 1950.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Corporate Archives)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cooper was a visionary when it came to adopting new technologies. </p>
<p>Although many AP members feared radio in the 1920s and 1930s as a dangerous competitor for advertising revenue, Cooper understood from the start that radio could not, and should not, be resisted — a conclusion that has clear resonance in the age of digital journalism.</p>
<p>He also pioneered the development of same-day news photography by wire, permanently changing daily journalism’s repertoire of storytelling methods.</p>
<p>Before the advent of AP’s Wirephoto, photographs were delivered by mail, train or airplane, often taking days to reach their destination. Wirephoto revolutionized the process by allowing images to be transmitted in minutes.</p>
<h2>Commitment to facts and accuracy</h2>
<p>One thing that Cooper did not change was AP’s commitment to factual accuracy and political neutrality — a rejection of the <a href="https://ethics.journalism.wisc.edu/2011/04/20/the-fall-and-rise-of-partisan-journalism/">virulent partisanship that dominated U.S. journalism for most of the 19th century, and that is now returning</a>.</p>
<p>On the factual side, few things caused him, and AP, more grief than high-profile errors. In one memorable case in 1935, AP falsely reported that the murderer of Charles Lindbergh’s baby had been sentenced to life in prison, rather than receiving the death penalty.</p>
<p>Such errors led to immediate investigations of what had gone wrong, embarrassed and apologetic corrections, and severe consequences including firing of those responsible. </p>
<p>In these cases, competition between AP and UP focused on which agency’s news was faster and more reliable, a marked contrast to the dissemination of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/08/unique-role-fox-news-misinformation-universe/">ideologically driven falsehoods</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/technology/misinformation-integrity-institute-report.html">social media misinformation</a> that we see today. </p>
<p>Cooper was not perfect, and neither was AP during the years that he led it, but its basic journalistic values stand out sharply against the backdrop of our current fractured news landscape.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205727/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gene Allen has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and from Indiana University (Everett Helm Fellowship).</span></em></p>During Cooper’s long tenure as a senior executive, general manager and executive director, he changed the Associated Press and the news its readers and listeners depended on, in major ways.Gene Allen, Adjunct Professor, Journalism/Communication and Culture, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2011312023-03-08T20:56:07Z2023-03-08T20:56:07ZMontreal Gazette: A case for the local ownership of community news media<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513834/original/file-20230306-1219-30sx50.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2941%2C1881&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Copies of the 'Montreal Gazette' are shown on a newsstand in Montréal on Feb. 16, 2023. Local Montréal businessman Mitch Garber has expressed interest in buying the newspaper. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Montréalers awoke on Feb. 16 to the news that a local <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/businessman-mitch-garber-pitches-taking-over-montreal-gazette-as-paper-faces-more-cuts-1.6276114">businessman and lawyer was trying to buy the <em>Montreal Gazette</em></a>, the city’s only anglophone daily newspaper.</p>
<p>No doubt many missed this news in the swirl of information at our fingertips, especially considering the <em>Gazette</em> is now a mere shadow of its former self. </p>
<p>The latest indignity the <em>Gazette</em> faced was a series of layoffs. Initially, <a href="https://rover.substack.com/p/postmedia-scales-back-gazette-layoffs">10-12 layoffs were expected</a>, but the hit was scaled back to six after <a href="https://montreal.citynews.ca/2023/02/12/petition-postmedia-montreal-gazette/">public pressure</a>, leaving just <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/advisory-council-will-keep-journalists-in-the-newsroom-at-montreal-gazette-postmedia-1.6287942">32 journalists and three managers</a> covering a metropolitan area of four million.</p>
<p>This marks a tremendous change for the <em>Gazette</em>, whose well-known writers have included <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mordecai-richler">Order of Canada recipient Mordecai Richler</a>. Its fame has even been enshrined in bronze, in the form of a statue of a man reading the newspaper that stands in one of the city’s anglophone enclaves.</p>
<h2>News industry challenges</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A statue of a man leaning against a building and reading a newspaper" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513822/original/file-20230306-14-igwd0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513822/original/file-20230306-14-igwd0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=778&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513822/original/file-20230306-14-igwd0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=778&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513822/original/file-20230306-14-igwd0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=778&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513822/original/file-20230306-14-igwd0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=978&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513822/original/file-20230306-14-igwd0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=978&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513822/original/file-20230306-14-igwd0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=978&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A statue in Westmount, Que. of a man reading the ‘Montreal Gazette.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <em>Gazette</em> has suffered the familiar challenges of the news industry. It hasn’t been locally owned since 1968 <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/montreal-gazette">when it was bought by Southam</a>. A list of chain owners followed: Hollinger acquired it in 1996, Canwest in 2000 and Postmedia in 2010. </p>
<p>In 2014, 100 people lost their jobs when printing was outsourced. But the real damage came after Chatham Asset Management, a New Jersey hedge fund, acquired a two-thirds stake in Postmedia in 2016. The <em>New York Times</em> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/business/media/hedge-fund-chatham-mcclatchy-postmedia-newspapers.html">reported that Postmedia cut 1,600 jobs across Canada</a> in the first four years of Chatham’s ownership. </p>
<p>As a society we have expressed concern about newspapers that have closed — 470 of them since 2008 in Canada, <a href="https://localnewsmap.geolive.ca/">according to the Local News Research Project</a>. But we are increasingly paying attention to the growth of <a href="https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/reports/expanding-news-desert/loss-of-local-news/the-rise-of-the-ghost-newspaper/">“ghost newspapers”</a> — publications that still exist, but whose newsgathering activities have shrivelled to almost nothing. </p>
<p>The <em>Gazette</em> is certainly not a ghost, producing lots of excellent local coverage every day, but it’s undoubtedly trending ghostward. We also know life is worse in communities with less local news: local journalism <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2013.834253">increases voter turnout</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108950930">reduces polarization</a> and <a href="https://www.cjr.org/q_and_a/investigative-reporting-value.php">saves communities money</a>. </p>
<h2>Mitch Garber’s offer</h2>
<p>This brings us back to the businessperson who offered to purchase the <em>Gazette</em> in February, Mitch Garber. He is an investor and a minority owner of the Seattle Kraken NHL team. </p>
<p>When news of the recent layoffs broke, the <em>Gazette</em> staffers <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/2023/02/16/prominent-businessman-mitch-garber-pitches-local-ownership-for-montreal-gazette.html">reached out to him</a> for help. In a series of since-deleted tweets on Feb. 15, Garber declared he would consider buying the newspaper.</p>
<p>“I never really wanted to own a newspaper,” <a href="https://www.iheartradio.ca/cjad/audio/mitch-garber-explains-importance-of-montreal-gazette-calls-out-advisory-council-1.19260566">he told CJAD radio</a>. “Do I have a plan? No. But I want to do what I can to help,” he <a href="https://rover.substack.com/p/knives-out-at-the-montreal-gazette">told <em>The Rover</em></a>. “I am a capitalist, I believe in smart investments and I know that investing in the print news business isn’t a big money-making investment. But some things are more important than money and I think this city needs an English language daily.” </p>
<p>Postmedia CEO Andrew MacLeod <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/postmedia-ceo-not-sure-it-s-the-right-time-for-local-ownership-of-montreal-gazette-1.6277293">dismissed the offer</a>, noting that sharing printing, distribution and stories across newspapers makes it hard to remove one of them. </p>
<p>It’s worth taking Garber’s suggestion seriously, even if not in the short term. Chain ownership might lower costs. If the purpose of a newspaper is to build up local democracy, it’s important to consider what the true cost of these savings is, and whether they outweigh the tremendous shrinkage of the newsroom. I know what my answer is. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man speaks into a microphone while another man, who is bald, looks on" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513845/original/file-20230306-18-h3ki0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513845/original/file-20230306-18-h3ki0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513845/original/file-20230306-18-h3ki0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513845/original/file-20230306-18-h3ki0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513845/original/file-20230306-18-h3ki0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513845/original/file-20230306-18-h3ki0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513845/original/file-20230306-18-h3ki0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Businessman Mitch Garber, right, speaking at a news conference in Montréal in 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
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<p>Although Garber has invested in a range of industries, he appears to have no background in media. “Some things are more important than money,” is a promising statement, and anyone who is willing to put their own money on the line to save a community asset has my attention. </p>
<p>But individual owners can be capricious. While local ownership, no matter its structure, brings a level of accountability to the news business, it is worth taking a moment to think about how to actually build a more responsible, community-focused news source. </p>
<h2>Are non-profits the future?</h2>
<p>The <em>Gazette’s</em> local competition offers examples worth examining. <em>La Presse</em>, a French-language, online-only publication became a non-profit in 2018, meaning all profits generated are put back into the editorial process. </p>
<p><em>La Presse’s</em> owners left $50 million in its accounts before the conversion and its circulation <a href="https://nmc-mic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/SNAPSHOT-2022-REPORT_Total-Industry-01.31.2023.pdf">has been rising</a>. </p>
<p><em>Le Devoir</em>, a French-language newspaper published in Montréal, <a href="https://www.lesamisdudevoir.com/fr/les-amis-du-devoir.html">has been owned by a non-profit trust for over 100 years</a>.</p>
<p>Joseph Atkinson left the <em>Toronto Star</em> to a charitable trust in 1948, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/about/history-of-the-toronto-star.html">a move that was overturned by government legislation</a>, but whose charitable spirit was preserved through the trustees <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/05/the-toronto-stars-owner-once-dreamed-that-it-would-be-a-nonprofit-now-its-being-sold-to-a-private-equity-firm/">who owned it until recently</a>. </p>
<p>And reaching further back, revenue from the operations and eventual sale of the <em>Toronto Telegram</em> <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1t88wsq">helped support Sick Children’s Hospital</a>. (Today, of course, it’s newspapers that are the charity case.)</p>
<p>South of the border also has plenty of interesting examples. One of the oldest examples is the <em>Tampa Tribune</em>, <a href="https://www.poynter.org/history/">left to a trust by its owner</a>. </p>
<p>H.F. Lenfest, a prominent businessman and benefactor, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/business/museum-of-the-american-revolution-lenfest-institute-for-journalism-philadelphia-20220419.html">created a non-profit to house <em>The Philadelphia Inquirer</em> in 2016</a> to ensure the newspaper would remain locally owned. Lenfest also created the <a href="https://www.lenfestinstitute.org/">Lenfest Institute for Journalism</a> that same year to fund local journalism.</p>
<p>This non-profit has contributed to what is one of the most vibrant news ecosystems in the United States, a goal that all newspapers should strive for. Anyone talking about bringing a chain newspaper local would do well to examine the history of <em>The Philadelphia Inquirer</em>.</p>
<h2>News media sustainability</h2>
<p>Postmedia is perhaps doing us all a service by putting the brakes on Garber’s offer. <a href="https://www.postmedia.com/2023/02/16/postmedia-announces-gazette-community-advisory-council/">The chain has put together an advisory council</a> to work on promoting the sustainability of the newspaper. </p>
<p>While a little late, this might be a move in the right direction for what should be a community-focused organization. If we’re serious about it, Montréalers would do well to put together our own process to figure out what we want and need from the <em>Gazette</em>. Perhaps this could even lead to a standing community advisory board, a check that a new owner would do well to encourage and listen to.</p>
<p>In any case, we can expect little from Postmedia, especially while Chatham Asset Management is involved. Local ownership seems worth a try. Garber seems like a good candidate, and he would do well to read up on what’s worked elsewhere so that he can ensure the <em>Gazette</em> remains an important local asset.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201131/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Magda Konieczna does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Local media ownership brings a level of accountability to the news business and offers benefits to communities by increasing voter turnout, reducing polarization and saving communities money.Magda Konieczna, Assistant Professor of Journalism, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1999112023-03-03T08:14:56Z2023-03-03T08:14:56ZTabloid newspapers are seen as sensationalist - but South Africa’s Daily Sun flipped that script during COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510873/original/file-20230217-330-cns8yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Daily Sun covered the pandemic through a social impact lens. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Christopher Furlong/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tabloid journalism usually refers to short, easily readable and mostly human-interest news, presented in a highly visual and sensationalist style. “Tabloidisation” has become shorthand for the deterioration of journalistic standards. </p>
<p>Newspapers like this are often criticised for diverting readers from serious news and analysis towards entertainment. They are viewed as low-quality because of their focus on sports, scandal and entertainment over politics or other serious social issues. </p>
<p>When tabloids first emerged in South Africa in the early 2000s, observers in mainstream journalism <a href="https://journals.co.za/doi/epdf/10.10520/EJC146378">criticised</a> them for their potential to undermine democratic values by peddling gender stereotypes and treating serious issues superficially.</p>
<p><a href="https://iupress.org/9780253222114/tabloid-journalism-in-south-africa/">Scholarship on tabloids</a>, however, has also shown how they are attuned to their readers’ needs, and the experiences of poor and working class South Africans – more so than their mainstream counterparts. </p>
<p>Against this background, the COVID-19 pandemic raised questions about how tabloid coverage of it differed from that of mainstream news. The media play a key role to keep the public informed about health issues and shape citizens’ perceptions. </p>
<h2>Covering COVID-19</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jams_00052_1">previous research</a> showed that the front pages of mainstream media in South Africa presented the pandemic largely as individual events, and in negative and alarmist terms. They focused mainly on the impacts of the pandemic. </p>
<p>We were interested in how the coverage provided by tabloid newspapers compared.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01634437221140514">latest study</a>, we focused on the <a href="https://www.media24.com/newspapers/daily-sun/">Daily Sun</a> newspaper as a case study of tabloid newspapers and their response to the pandemic. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-african-front-page-stories-about-covid-were-sensationalist-and-unhelpful-170412">South African front-page stories about COVID were sensationalist and unhelpful</a>
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<p>The Daily Sun has not escaped the trend of plummeting circulation figures for print newspapers. But it is still the largest daily newspaper in South Africa, with an audited circulation of <a href="https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/90/233509.html">around 31,000 a day</a>. Its closest rival is the isiZulu-language tabloid <a href="https://www.isolezwe.co.za/">Isolezwe</a>, which sells around 29,000. </p>
<p>The Daily Sun, however, has a much bigger readership, as each copy is <a href="https://www.mediaupdate.co.za/media/71550/the-remarkable-readership-of-the-daily-sun">estimated to be read by about 20 people</a>. Daily Sun recently <a href="https://themediaonline.co.za/2020/05/daily-sun-publishes-last-print-issue-goes-online-only/">extended its digital offering</a> to reach readers outside Gauteng, its major market and now the only province where printed copies are still sold. <a href="https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/90/217488.html">More than 2 million</a> people read the paper on Facebook a month. Its website receives a million unique visitors a month.</p>
<p>Contrary to what might have been expected by its critics, we found that its coverage was contextually relevant and informative. It was in typical tabloid genre style, but focused on the social impact of the pandemic on its urban, aspirational readers, who fall largely in the <a href="https://www.mediaupdate.co.za/media/71550/the-remarkable-readership-of-the-daily-sun">Living Standards Measure (LSM) 5 to 7</a>.</p>
<p>These findings emphasise the importance of tabloid news in South African society. Researchers interested in media coverage of major events should therefore include tabloids like the Daily Sun in their scope.</p>
<h2>The study</h2>
<p>We sampled 1,050 news stories from the Daily Sun website during the period March 2020 to August 2021. This timeframe includes the start of the outbreak of the pandemic in South Africa and the first lockdown in March 2020. It concludes as the “third wave” of the pandemic began to wind down in 2021. </p>
<p>We analysed the content of all the sampled stories and conducted a close reading of a smaller sample of 130 stories. We coded the stories for 14 variables. These included the headline, date, narrative modes, type of reporting, frame of story, primary focus of story, use of language and emotional appeal. We also checked for sensationalist language or misinformation, provision of health information, sources quoted, overall tone of article and whether COVID-19 or the vaccine was the main focus of the article.</p>
<h2>Daily Sun’s COVID coverage</h2>
<p>Daily Sun news stories encompassed a range of narrative modes. Only 36% fell into the category “sounding the alarm”. This refers to a predominance of fearful claims made in an attempt to convince the public that a threat is real and serious. Daily Sun had much less of this than mainstream media. </p>
<p>There was no overt use of sensationalist language, though reporting often relied on shock aesthetics like colourful headlines, exclamation marks and capital letters. Most stories fell into what we categorised as “mixed messages”. These had some elements of fear, but reassured readers by highlighting systems in place to cope with the pandemic. </p>
<p>The Daily Sun often used the pandemic as a framing tool to highlight social issues that COVID-19 made worse. Electricity price hikes, wage cuts and job losses, for example, affected its readers more than wealthier readers. COVID-19 was framed contextually to increase its relevance for the newspaper’s readership by focusing on social impact and their everyday lives.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/william-ruto-vs-kenyas-media-democracy-is-at-stake-190780">William Ruto vs Kenya's media: democracy is at stake</a>
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<p>One area where tabloid reporting fell short, similar to mainstream coverage, was its lack of practical information for readers on how to limit the spread of the virus. Similarly to mainstream coverage, government officials were most quoted (41%), rather than voices from civil society and the public. In this sense, tabloid newspapers also privileged elite sources despite their working class audience.</p>
<p>Our research also found, however, that 90% of stories were thematic: they provided background information, a wide-angle lens, and more in-depth reportage, as well as a focus on solutions. Several stories debunked rumours and myths – despite the frequent criticism that tabloids play fast and loose with facts. The overall tone of the stories coded was primarily neutral (44%).</p>
<h2>Why this matters</h2>
<p>Tabloid news coverage of COVID-19 played an important role in reaching audiences left out by mainstream print media. The Daily Sun highlighted the social impact of the pandemic by providing thematic and contextual coverage, and focusing on how ordinary citizens were affected. This news coverage goes counter to stereotypical perceptions of tabloids. It upholds tabloids’ reputation for making news relevant to the everyday lives of their readers.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/media-literacy-education-in-south-africa-can-help-combat-fake-news-heres-whats-needed-185338">Media literacy education in South Africa can help combat fake news - here's what's needed</a>
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<p>This adds to researchers’ understanding of the role that popular media can play in raising awareness of public health matters, and the impact of a pandemic on the lives of ordinary citizens. Tabloid journalism in South Africa should be taken seriously and not dismissed as frivolous or irrelevant when it comes to social and political matters.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199911/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The newspaper confounded critics with its contextually relevant and informative stories.Tanja Bosch, Associate Professor in Media Studies and Production, University of Cape TownHerman Wasserman, Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1976662023-01-19T16:37:09Z2023-01-19T16:37:09ZWhy do we read about accidents? Lessons from 18th-century English newspapers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505218/original/file-20230118-14-cf083o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=85%2C100%2C5090%2C3344&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">18th-century London newspapers frequently reported on the tragic and curious accidents that befell the city's residents.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“If it bleeds, it leads” is a well-known maxim associated with journalism. Accident reports often attract readers, even when their headlines give away the plot. This has been true for over three hundred years, since <a href="https://londonist.com/london/history/320-year-anniversary-daily-courant-elizabeth-mallet-first-newspaper">reading the news became part of daily life in 18th-century Britain</a>. </p>
<p>Just four pages long, British newspapers of the 1700s had few images, no headlines and little separation between articles. Their random arrangement of news paragraphs is reminiscent of modern social media feeds without their algorithms. Jostling with news ranging from foreign military reports to book reviews, accounts of accidents occur as random shocks, nearly as surprising for the newspaper’s readers as the original accidents must have been for their subjects. </p>
<p>As a scholar who studies 18th-century British media, I often encounter accounts of accidents as I read old newspapers. Despite the different look of these newspapers, their readers evidently possessed an interest in spectacular, unusual and gory accidents that feels very familiar. The accidents most frequently reported in newspapers of the 1700s arise from traffic, working conditions, natural disaster and human error. </p>
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<h2>Traffic accidents</h2>
<p>18th-century London’s narrow roads were congested with horse-drawn vehicles, pedestrians and panicky animals. Traffic accidents were frequent. Readers of the <em><a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=qVrUTUelE6YC&pg=PA426&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">Morning Chronicle</a></em> on March 9, 1784 could trace a runaway ox’s destructive path <a href="https://www.grubstreetproject.net/london/#map=63/@-9662,0,119324z">through the city:</a> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Yesterday morning an over-drove ox tossed a boy in Smithfield, but fortunately was not much hurt; the ox then ran down Cow-cross, and opposite Mr. Booth’s, the distiller, tossed an ass, carrying a pair of panniers, filled with dog’s meat, nearly to the height of the one pair of stairs windows, and before he could be secured terribly gored a young man, who was taken to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.” </p>
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<p>Readers were no doubt reassured that the ox was unhurt after tossing a small boy and amused that the animal ran amuck down the appropriately-named street “Cow-cross.” </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A painting featuring people holding a lantern next to a damaged carriage next to a fire." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=726&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=726&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=726&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=912&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=912&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505187/original/file-20230118-12-hy9pqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=912&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">‘Night’ by William Hogarth circa 1738 depicts a damaged carriage on a London road.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Wikimedia)</span></span>
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<p>Traffic incidents involving notable people were particularly popular. The <em>Morning Chronicle</em> of April 9, 1800 reported that the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-Augustus-duke-of-York-and-Albany">Duke of York</a> had been enjoying a ride when “a dog belonging to a driver of cattle ran across the road, and impeding the progress of the horse, the animal fell on his Royal Highness, and the Duke unfortunately being entangled in the stirrup, was dragged a considerable way.” </p>
<p>Luckily, two patriotic men in a passing chaise made room for the injured Duke and tipped the post-boys two guineas to carry him to a surgeon. </p>
<p>Waterways were equally treacherous. Pity the poor father who, having placed his child and his nurse in a boat, then saw them fall into the Thames. He “with great Difficulty took up the Nurse, but the Child was drowned: The Child had been brought that Day from Wandsworth to be seen by its Parents, and was returning when this melancholy Accident happen’d,” lamented the <em>Daily Post</em> of Sept. 16, 1729. </p>
<h2>Sympathy or laughter?</h2>
<p>Eighteenth century readers were often given emotional cues from newspapers’ descriptions of accidents as “unfortunate,” “melancholy” or “shocking.” These small adjectives had the power to transmute unseemly gawkers into sympathetic witnesses. On March 1, 1801 <em><a href="https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/titles/bells-weekly-messenger">Bell’s Weekly Messenger</a></em> reported the tragic fate of Lady Hardy: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“[S]itting alone after dinner reading, but falling asleep, her head dress approached too near the flame of the candle, and caught fire; it communicated to other parts of her dress before her Ladyship awoke. On awaking, and perceiving her situation, she inadvertently ran out into the passage, where the draught of air so much increased the flames, that she was found entirely in a blaze… she was rolled up in a carpet, which instantly extinguished the fire; but her Ladyship was so dreadfully burnt, that she lingered till four o’clock the next morning in the most excruciating agonies, and expired.”</p>
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<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An old newspaper titled: The London Chronicle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1026&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1026&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505190/original/file-20230118-11-tl7djn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1026&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A copy of The London Chronicle from Oct. 16, 1759.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Occasionally, a newspaper’s tone seemed more amused than sympathetic. “A few Days since as the Son of Mr. Mitchell … was felling a Tree, it fell on him,” reported the <em>General Evening Post</em> of Dec. 17-19, 1747. The unfortunate Mr. Bacon was struck by lightning so violently that it “made his body a most shocking spectacle,” punned the <em>Public Advertiser</em> of July 18, 1787.</p>
<p>Present-day journalists’ codes of ethics stress sensitivity and avoid <a href="https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/the-do-s-and-don-ts-of-reporting-on-death-and-grief/s2/a954028/">intruding into others’ grief</a>. Eighteenth century Britons’ sense of humour, however, could be <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25098027">ruthless</a>. </p>
<h2>Workplace accidents</h2>
<p>Accounts of work-related accidents abound in the news of the 1700s. Bricklayers and carpenters plummet from scaffolding. Painters and glaziers fall through windows. Watermen drown. </p>
<p>As <em>Fog’s Weekly Journal</em> reported, one poor currier, “as he was standing on a Stool to hang up some Skins in his Shop … fell with his Neck upon the Edge of a sharp Iron used in that Trade.”</p>
<p>Modern journalists have a <a href="https://accountablejournalism.org/ethics-codes/british-national-union-of-journalists">duty to inform the public</a> about accidents, to provoke investigation into their causes and offer strategies for increased public safety. In 18th-century newspapers, there is less emphasis on preventative legislation and institutional culpability and more focus on personal diligence.</p>
<p>Articles often also stressed the admirable fortitude of an accident’s victim or responder. The <em><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3020548">London Evening Post</a></em> on Jan. 1, 1760 reported a courageous post-boy’s efforts to deliver the mail:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“[M]istaking the Road, [he] got into a Wood where there was a great Declivity, and both Horse and Lad fell into the River, broke the Ice in one of the deepest Places, and sunk to the Bottom; the Horse could not get out, but was drowned; the Boy got hold of a Twig, and by that Means saved his Life, yet exposed it again to the greatest Danger, by endeavouring to recover the Mail, which he did, with the Saddle, to the Surprize of every one.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Better still, the boy delivered the mail the next day. In the newspaper record, pluck and valour are celebrated characteristics.</p>
<p>Accidents interrupt our daily routines with their disturbing novelty. Like fables, 18th-century newspapers’ short tales of accidents deliver moral lessons on the value of diligence, empathy and courage. Stories of fatal accidents are <em><a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/memento-mori">memento mori</a></em>: in their remembrance of death, they prompt us to seize hold of life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197666/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leslie Ritchie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>News reports about accidents can deliver important moral lessons and remind us to value life.Leslie Ritchie, Professor of English Literature, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1974892023-01-15T14:36:14Z2023-01-15T14:36:14ZInformation literacy courses can help students tackle confirmation bias and misinformation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504497/original/file-20230113-26-659oki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C73%2C4898%2C2987&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Understanding our confirmation biases can help us tackle fake news and misinformation.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to the news these days, what we choose to regard as trustworthy <a href="https://theconversation.com/republicans-and-democrats-see-news-bias-only-in-stories-that-clearly-favor-the-other-party-192282">has more to do with our own world view</a> than what kinds of news practices are worthy of trust. </p>
<p>Many people are seeking out news that <a href="https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/cable-news-networks-have-grown-more-polarized-study-finds">aligns with their politics</a>. But there’s just one problem with this: we are not always good judges of what constitutes trustworthy information and news.</p>
<p>That’s why learning about <a href="https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.9472">news and information literacy</a> is so important. An information literacy course I teach at the University of Windsor, <a href="https://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/cuma/public/courses/pdf/71241738-66f2-4eea-9a74-e8759c306c53">Information Searching and Analysis</a>, tries to show students that the same phenomenon which makes us poor judges can also be turned around to make us better, more critical consumers of news and information. </p>
<p>The process I use in this information literacy course does not encourage “trust” in mainstream or legacy news media per se. Rather, students learn to assess news based on the characteristics of a news story: multiple, adversarial sources, the use of statistics and data in which the sources are named and can be accessed independently, the kinds of advertising present and whether it is related to the story.</p>
<h2>First lesson: Check your confirmation bias</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/confirmation-bias">Confirmation bias</a> suggests that our prior knowledge and experiences often inform our opinions. However, by becoming aware of our confirmation bias tendencies, we can begin to self-critique the way we process information and learn more about ourselves and how we interpret news and information.</p>
<p>The solution comes in the form of an experiential assignment in which students realize their confirmation bias tendencies. Students are tasked with a weekend assignment in which they look for and report on examples of confirmation bias around them and in media reports. They are told to focus mostly on themselves — how they often engage in confirmation bias. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A row of newspapers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504500/original/file-20230113-20-ounndj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">By becoming aware of our confirmation biases, we can self-critique the way we process information and news.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The assignment is an eye opener. In their end-of-semester papers, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1077695819893171">80 per cent of students in the Information Searching and Analysis class</a> noted that the assignment was an important element of the course. Here are a few examples:</p>
<p>“I knew that in some aspects of my life, I may have exhibited confirmation bias towards certain ideas. However, I did not think it was as prominent as it was after the completion of the assignment.”</p>
<p>“…relating to my personal life, this was the most important assignment.”</p>
<p>“I think it was the most impactful and (will) stick with me the longest.”</p>
<p>“It was an insanely enriching experience for me to pull my biases out of the woodwork, particularly for someone like myself who regards themselves as quite unbiased when it comes to anything.”</p>
<p>“…extremely valuable was the consciousness I developed in regard to (how) social media was exclusively forming my opinions… I believe this is perhaps the most universal function of the class.” </p>
<p>The course uses a <a href="https://teaching.berkeley.edu/flipping-your-classroom">flipped classroom approach</a>. Flipped classrooms use class time for discussion, group activities and experiential education instead of lectures and passive forms of learning.</p>
<p>The key is self-confrontation. All the ways to engage in confirmation bias cannot be conveyed through a dry explanation of the concept. The point is to not preach or lecture them about their “faults.” Rather, it is about letting them understand for themselves how confirmation biases can result in inaccurate learning that may have negative effects.</p>
<h2>Media framing</h2>
<p>Over the rest of the semester students explore a social justice issue by looking at how interest groups, journalists and academic researchers have treated the issue. This serves to give them a holistic view of the information field and leads to a better understanding of both the issue and the social dynamics that inform debate about it.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man scrolls through a webpage on a smartphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504499/original/file-20230113-21-oevkr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Greater information literacy enables us to assess how trustworthy the news we see on social media is.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is also crucial that students understand the nature of <a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-sponsored-content">sponsored content</a> and other <a href="https://support.google.com/admanager/answer/6366845?hl=en">native ads</a> which may look like news but embed a point of view.</p>
<p>News, information and misinformation play a significant role in improving and undermining democratic discourse and decision-making. Educators at all levels will need to give news and information literacy greater attention to ensure students know how to critique the news they encounter.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197489/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Wittebols does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Teaching students about information literacy can help them determine what kinds of practices make news reports trustworthy.James Wittebols, Professor of Political Science, University of WindsorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1888752022-09-06T20:01:28Z2022-09-06T20:01:28ZWhy Ottawa’s efforts to get Google and Facebook to pay for news content misses the mark<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480433/original/file-20220822-76838-aw9uc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C0%2C5145%2C3445&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bill C-18, the Online News Act, is trying to get the dominant digital platforms to negotiate mutually-acceptable agreements with Canada’s online news outlets. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-ottawa-s-efforts-to-get-google-and-facebook-to-pay-for-news-content-misses-the-mark" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>We have seen drastic changes in the media industry over the last two decades. Between <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2022/04/government-introduces-a-bill-to-ensure-fair-compensation-for-news-media-and-the-sustainability-of-local-news.html">2008 and 2021, more than 450 news outlets closed</a> across Canada and at least one-third of journalism jobs disappeared. </p>
<p>The digital platform giants — notably Google and Facebook — are very much part of this media ecosystem, but are they positive contributors? </p>
<p>By reproducing or linking to articles they don’t create, but earn ad revenue from — they claimed <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2022/04/government-introduces-a-bill-to-ensure-fair-compensation-for-news-media-and-the-sustainability-of-local-news.html">80 per cent of online ad revenues</a>, or almost $10 billion, in 2020 — these big tech companies seem to deprive news publishers their rightful due. So should publishers be compensated for the use of their content? </p>
<h2>The Online News Act</h2>
<p>Many countries have debated this question; few have acted. In 2019, the European Union <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/31/europe-efforts-to-curb-internet-giants-only-make-them-stronger">instituted a so-called “link tax”</a> — essentially a licensing fee that search engines and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/news-aggregator">news aggregators</a> have to pay publishers for using their content. In 2021, Australia <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56163550">brought in a law</a> that compels Google and Facebook to negotiate deals with the country’s news publishers.</p>
<p>Now, Canada is weighing in. In April, the federal government tabled legislation that channels Australia’s approach. Bill C-18, the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2022/04/backgrounder--government-introduces-legislation-to-ensure-fair-compensation-for-news-media-and-the-sustainability-of-local-news.html">Online News Act</a>, is a sharp-elbowed nudge to get the dominant digital platforms to negotiate mutually-acceptable agreements with Canada’s online newspapers, magazines and TV and radio broadcasters. </p>
<p>If they cannot come to terms, the parties would have to enter a binding arbitration overseen by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the arm’s-length regulator. If enacted, would Bill C-18 “contribute to the sustainability of the news market,” as the government promises? </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-paltry-number-of-canadians-are-paying-for-online-news-118651">A paltry number of Canadians are paying for online news</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It’s true that news outlets have <a href="https://citap.unc.edu/local-news-platforms-mis-disinformation/">struggled to make money</a> ever since the internet upended their gravy train — classified ads and print subscriptions. But it’s also true that search engines and aggregators have expanded the online news market. They direct substantial traffic to the publishers’ websites, particularly traffic from casual readers that otherwise would not take place.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man browses on an iPad." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480434/original/file-20220822-65891-rlafhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480434/original/file-20220822-65891-rlafhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480434/original/file-20220822-65891-rlafhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480434/original/file-20220822-65891-rlafhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480434/original/file-20220822-65891-rlafhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480434/original/file-20220822-65891-rlafhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480434/original/file-20220822-65891-rlafhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">News outlets have struggled to make money in recent years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A look at the ‘link tax’</h2>
<p>There is no evidence that shows news outlets are worse off because of Google, Facebook and other aggregators. If anything, evidence (and lots of it) shows that, overall, news outlets would be in worse shape without these digital platforms.</p>
<p>That’s what I found in <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2837553">a study I undertook with economist Joan Calzada</a> of the “link tax” imposed by Spain (before the EU-wide directive was instituted in 2019). </p>
<p>In 2014, Spain began forcing aggregators such as Google News to pay a link fee to original publishers. Google responded by shutting down its Spanish edition. We found that after the shutdown, <a href="https://smith.queensu.ca/insight/content/research_brief_a_google_tax_may_be_a_bad_idea_after_all.php">Spanish news outlets experienced a reduction in the number of daily visits</a> of between eight and 14 per cent. </p>
<p>To add insult to injury, advertisers stopped placing ads on their sites, causing a collapse in ad revenues. Particularly hard hit were smaller news publishers — lower-ranked sites with a larger share of casual readers. </p>
<p>During the same period, Germany instituted a link fee as well. In this case, Google News required German publishers to waive the linking fee. A <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4158137">study from the University of Munich</a> found that publishers deciding to opt out from Google indexing faced disastrous consequences: daily visits to their sites significantly dropped and traffic was diverted to competing sites that opted into indexing. </p>
<p>These and <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28746">other studies</a> show news publishers benefit from the Googles of the world. So would Bill C-18, as it currently stands, really change anything for the better? </p>
<h2>Right side of policy</h2>
<p>The current debate is based on a false premise, that news outlets are not already being compensated, instead of focusing on the rightful split of joint revenues between the platform and the content creator. </p>
<p>If Bill C-18 passes, we can expect big publishers to receive most of the funds — that’s what happened in Europe and Australia. Smaller media outlets with low brand awareness will suffer unless they band together and bargain collectively with the digital giants. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustration shows hands holding a phone that reads news." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480435/original/file-20220822-76834-d44eah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480435/original/file-20220822-76834-d44eah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480435/original/file-20220822-76834-d44eah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480435/original/file-20220822-76834-d44eah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480435/original/file-20220822-76834-d44eah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480435/original/file-20220822-76834-d44eah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480435/original/file-20220822-76834-d44eah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Between 2008 and 2021, more than 450 news outlets closed across Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We can expect Google, Facebook and their ilk to adjust their market behaviour. What would stop them, for example, from tweaking their algorithms to benefit news publishers offering the most favourable arrangements? </p>
<p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/npict8uzrow3sk3/AABO5qZ8qEnEEphhmlVOE-8la?dl=0">Recent evidence</a> shows Google Australia started recommending less “expensive” content after the law was passed in Australia. </p>
<p>Alternative policy responses must be considered. In the past, when Google faced similar legal trouble, France and Belgium set up lump sum funds that were shared by news publishers based on a predetermined formula. Such an approach ensures a fair distribution of funds across content creators and doesn’t distort market behaviour of the platforms involved.</p>
<p>Bill C-18 is just one of three pieces of legislation now being considered by the House of Commons. There is also a proposed bill that addresses hate speech and other online abuses and another that brings online streaming services under the Broadcasting Act. </p>
<p>It’s clear Canadians approve; <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-liberal-internet-regulation-bill-c-11/">polling</a> shows a majority support greater government regulation on the internet. While it’s good to be on the right side of public opinion, it’s better to be on the right side of policy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188875/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ricard Gil received funding from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition (CTIC) and Warren Center for Network & Data Science to study the impact of search engines on the online news market. </span></em></p>There’s no evidence that news outlets are worse off because of Google, Facebook and other aggregators. If anything, evidence shows that, overall, news outlets would be in worse shape without them.Ricard Gil, Associate Professor, Smith School of Business, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1850042022-06-17T12:35:08Z2022-06-17T12:35:08ZThe Jan. 6 hearings are tailor-made for social media – that doesn’t mean they’re reaching a wide audience<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469360/original/file-20220616-14-kc6y6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=48%2C0%2C5381%2C3568&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Greg Jacob, who was counsel to former Vice President Mike Pence, and Michael Luttig, a retired federal judge, testified about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/CapitolRiotInvestigation/bb96c027abd54abb8096b60c39f79aae/photo">Michael Reynolds/Pool Photo via AP</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On June 16, 2022, the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol used its two-hour hearing to paint a picture of a relentless campaign by former President Donald Trump and his allies to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence into throwing the election to Trump.</p>
<p>The committee’s palette included video excerpts from witness interviews, live testimony from associates of both Pence and Trump, and clips showing crucial notes or excerpts from emails. The hearings, of which this was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnf4w6rocm8">the third</a>, run for approximately two-hour chunks of time. That’s a long time in today’s era of quick scrolling, one-minute TikToks and 240-character hot-take tweets. </p>
<p>But what the Jan. 6 committee hearings have shown so far is not the antithesis of social media. On the contrary, these hearings appear to be made for social media, given the elements of the presentation. The quick video cutaways, pithy sound bites and short interview clips, such as former Attorney General William Barr saying “bullshit” on repeat, are all easily broken off from the larger hearings to be repackaged as social media content. </p>
<p>So was the Jan. 6 insurrection.</p>
<p>In the days following the Jan. 6 attack, many pundits seemed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-building-officers-posed-for-selfies-helped-protesters-2021-1">baffled</a> that the insurrectionists had stormed the Capitol with phones in hand, taking videos and selfies. This seemed self-incriminating, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/opinion/capitol-attack-cellphone-data.html">it turned out to be</a>. Yet <a href="https://datasociety.net/library/media-manipulation-and-disinfo-online/">scholars of the far-right</a> have long discussed how social media has been essential to that community. </p>
<p>Those who stormed the Capitol had a history of using platforms like Reddit, Twitter and YouTube and internet messaging types like memes to spread their views. Storming the Capitol included a simultaneous internet component because the internet was part of the plan from the beginning. It was <a href="https://medium.com/the-shadow/1-6-and-popular-culture-some-reflections-ed6b99c3a0db">no surprise that the insurrectionists documented their actions</a>.</p>
<p>It makes sense that the Jan. 6 committee hearings are equally tuned for social media. The goal of the Jan. 6 committee hearings is to impart information and tell the whole story of what really happened that day, and ideally, to reach as many in the American electorate as possible. Doing so also means understanding today’s media landscape, where clips shared on social media are just as important as the primary broadcast.</p>
<p>Being on social media doesn’t always guarantee that your message will go viral, however.</p>
<h2>Attention by the numbers</h2>
<p>With the frequent use of video interviews from the highest-ranking people in Trump’s circle, including Barr, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the Jan. 6 committee has turned Trump surrogates’ words into clips that can be easily separated from the broader hearings and shared online. </p>
<p>For instance, a Democratic SuperPAC has posted a TikTok video of a clip from <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@meidastouch/video/7107412459752803626?_t=8T9uuUFUSpa&_r=1">a committee interview with Jason Miller</a>, a member of President Trump’s inner circle, with the word “admission” stamped across it. Similar TikToks boast in all caps <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@davidpakmanshow/video/7107685555193875754?_t=8TDUHycIxe2&_r=1">SHOCKING REVELATION FROM J6 HEARING</a> over a clip of Republican Congresswoman and Select Committee Co-Chair Liz Cheney discussing Trump.</p>
<p>The Jan. 6 committee hearings have rightfully drawn historical comparisons to Congress’ Watergate hearings. According to the Nielsen ratings, <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-brief-history-of-televised-congressional-hearings-180980240/">an estimated three out of four American households tuned in to those hearings</a> at one point or another. But on Thursday, June 9, only <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/06/10/nearly-19-million-watched-first-jan-6-hearing-prime-time/">18.8 million people tuned in</a> to the prime-time Jan. 6 committee hearings. Of those, just over <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/13/1104529512/analyzing-the-television-ratings-for-the-first-hearing-on-the-jan-6-insurrection">15 million were aged 55 or older</a>. </p>
<p>Social media may be playing a role in how the Jan. 6 committee structures its hearings, but the creation of content doesn’t always translate into consumption. Younger generations don’t seem to be flocking to social media platforms to catch up on the hearings. At the time of writing, videos on TikTok with the hashtags #january6hearing, #january6thhearing and #j6hearings had less than a million views combined, and the hashtag #january6thcommission has 15.5 million views. </p>
<p>Even the hashtag #january6, which includes videos of all aspects of the insurrection dating back to when the attack happened, has just 90.3 million views. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KXZF7HOKs-8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Jan. 6 committee’s use of short video clips has provided fodder for social media.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Compare this to how the recent defamation trial between actors <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61649522">Johnny Depp and Amber Heard played out on TikTok</a>, where the hashtag for those supporting Depp had over 18 billion views. Though TikTok <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-get-more-views-on-tiktok/#:%7E:text=Different%20social%20media%20platforms%20measure,all%20count%20as%20new%20views.">counts a view</a> as the video merely starting, not finishing, this is still a staggering number.</p>
<h2>Breaking through the noise</h2>
<p>The internet has been described as <a href="https://www.humanetech.com/youth/the-attention-economy#:%7E:text=2-,How%20does%20competing%20in%20the%20attention%20economy%20shape%20the%20social,competition%20within%20the%20attention%20economy.">an attention economy</a> in which there is more possible content than any one person could ever consume. The supply massively outpaces the demand. </p>
<p>So what do people, and politicians, do to break through the barrage of content online? Politicians have always chased soundbites, but on social media, grabbing attention is a practice and a mindset. People tend to perform in certain ways to produce content that is likely to stand out online. The Jan. 6 committee is no exception.</p>
<p>While viral moments can stand out from big, televised events <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-the-ratings-nbcs-olympics-telecast-showed-videos-future-165856">like the Olympics</a>, fewer and fewer people are tuning in to these in real time. </p>
<p>Crafting the Jan. 6 committee hearings to stand out on social media may not be having the committee’s desired effect. There could be numerous explanations for the lack of viral moments from the Jan. 6 committee hearings, from so-called <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trump-fatigue%20Syndrome">Trump Fatigue Syndrome</a> to being so inundated by large media events – war, mass shootings, Supreme Court rulings – that it becomes harder and harder to stand out. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-brief-history-of-televised-congressional-hearings-180980240/">As the Washington Post reported on the Watergate hearings</a>, one woman said, “I’ve got to hurry home and watch the Senate investigation on TV. It’s more fun than an X-rated movie.” </p>
<p>But that’s not today’s media landscape. And as hyperpartisanship abounds, with Fox News refusing to air the hearings in prime time, trying to make noise on other media becomes crucial as a strategy to get a message out there. </p>
<p>While there is an argument that the hearings shouldn’t be about chasing internet fame, getting through to the public is important. And bits of information from the Jan. 6 committee are better than nothing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185004/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Maddox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Today’s media landscape is a far cry from the days of Watergate. A media scholar looks at the challenge the Jan. 6 committee faces in getting the hearings to break through in the age of TikTok.Jessica Maddox, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Creative Media, University of AlabamaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1832652022-05-18T10:36:29Z2022-05-18T10:36:29ZFive ways to manage your doomscrolling habit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463750/original/file-20220517-12-2i8x4x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C14%2C3068%2C2058&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teenagers-texting-mobile-phone-messages-leaning-715081060">Akhenaton Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Doomscrolling, according to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/doomsurfing-doomscrolling-words-were-watching">Merriam-Webster</a>, is “the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing”. For many it’s a habit born of the pandemic – and one that is likely to stay.</p>
<hr>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-manage-your-doomscrolling-habit-183265&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Some health experts recommend limiting access to social media to <a href="https://www.health.com/mind-body/what-is-doomscrolling">reduce the negative effects of doomscrolling</a>, and popular magazines <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-psychology-social-media-fomo/">highlight the risks</a> of social media addiction. According to the BBC, the barrage of negative coverage of doomscrolling has led to some people <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60067032">ditching their smartphones</a> altogether. </p>
<p>Although research showing the negative effects of doomscrolling is convincing and the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1461670X.2021.2021105">recommendations are clear</a>, few of us seem to be following this well-intentioned advice. There are a few reasons for this. </p>
<p>First, blocking out news during times of crisis may not be such a good idea. Second, many of us <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4675534/">don’t respond well</a> to being told what we can and cannot do. </p>
<p>Finally, being asked not to do something can make matters worse. It can push us into a negative frame of mind and make us <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-can-change-your-brain/201208/why-word-is-so-dangerous-say-or-hear">less likely to change our behaviour</a>.</p>
<p>Rather than quitting doomscrolling, what if we simply got better at managing it? </p>
<p>It is helpful to start by acknowledging that seeking news and information during times of crisis is perfectly normal. In fact, this response is hard-wired in us humans. </p>
<p>Staying alert to danger is part of our survival mechanism. Gathering information and being prepared to face threats have been key to our survival for millennia. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man looking shocked reading the newspaper." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463901/original/file-20220518-19-6ockvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463901/original/file-20220518-19-6ockvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463901/original/file-20220518-19-6ockvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463901/original/file-20220518-19-6ockvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463901/original/file-20220518-19-6ockvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463901/original/file-20220518-19-6ockvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463901/original/file-20220518-19-6ockvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Staying alert to danger is hardwired in humans.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/worried-anxious-senior-business-man-looking-726356515">TeodorLazarev/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Right now, there are many threats facing us: a war in Europe that could escalate to nuclear conflict, a pandemic that has already killed millions of people and predictions of a climate catastrophe, alongside many other natural disasters and human conflicts across the world. </p>
<p>In this context, it is not surprising that we want to be alert to danger. Wanting to learn more about what is happening and equipping ourselves with the latest information is perfectly reasonable.</p>
<p>Rather than avoiding the news altogether, let’s make sure that we are getting what we need from our interactions with the news. Here are five suggestions to achieve this.</p>
<h2>1. Choose how much time you’re going to invest in consuming the news</h2>
<p>Why not include all the ways you access the news? What amount of time each day seems reasonable to you? Once you have a time window, try sticking to it.</p>
<h2>2. Be aware of confirmation bias when choosing what to consume</h2>
<p>Remember, you are the consumer and you can choose what to learn about. However, we need to be aware of a tendency that psychologists call “<a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/confirmation-bias.html">confirmation bias</a>”. This is when we favour information that supports our existing beliefs or viewpoints. </p>
<p>In other words, we sometimes seek news that confirms what we already believe. This may have been one reason you clicked on this article. So just be aware of this tendency and be aware of what you’re not choosing to read.</p>
<h2>3. Check the source</h2>
<p>Any time you consume anything, it is helpful to know its source. Who has posted this information? Why are they sharing it with you? Are they trying to convince you of something? Are they trying to manipulate you to think or behave in a particular way? </p>
<p>Knowing the answers to these questions will support you to stay in control of how you use the information that you have gathered.</p>
<h2>4. Remember that things are not always black or white</h2>
<p>We live in an increasingly polarised world. According to psychologists, “polarised thinking” is a <a href="https://exploringyourmind.com/polarized-thinking-cognitive-distortion/">cognitive distortion</a> (thinking error) that can occur when we’re under pressure. It is the tendency to see things as black or white, rather than recognising that we live in a world with many colours and shades of grey. </p>
<p>Find ways to hold strong views while remaining curious about other opinions. Selecting and consuming articles that represent differing opinions may support this.</p>
<h2>5. Be biased towards the positive</h2>
<p>One reason that doomscrolling can be so detrimental is that many of us are drawn to negative information. Psychologists call this the “<a href="https://positivepsychology.com/3-steps-negativity-bias/">negativity bias</a>”. From an evolutionary perspective, it has been important for us to prioritise negative stimuli (threats such as predators) over positive stimuli (enjoying the warmth of a summer’s day). </p>
<p>To counterbalance this tendency, we can adopt a bias towards the positive as we consume news. In practical terms, this means seeking positive news stories to balance out our experience of staying updated.</p>
<p>Managed properly, keeping on top of the latest news can support you to feel better informed and able to respond in case it becomes necessary. If we’re going to doomscroll, let’s do it right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183265/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christian van Nieuwerburgh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Doomscrolling through the news needn’t be negative – if it’s done right.Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1770282022-05-11T12:06:12Z2022-05-11T12:06:12ZWhat can reverse late-night TV’s decline?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461829/original/file-20220506-22-htzlcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C53%2C2766%2C1917&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">James Corden, host of 'The Late Late Show,' recently announced that he will be stepping down from the show.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/host-james-corden-speaks-onstage-during-the-70th-annual-news-photo/539763272?adppopup=true">Theo Wargo/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In late April, after James Corden announced he would step down from “The Late Late Show” next spring, <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/04/who-should-replace-james-corden-on-the-late-late-show">there was immediate speculation about his replacement</a>.</p>
<p>Others, however, have had a different response to recent changes to the late-night TV lineup: <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/late-night/late-night-is-over/">Who cares</a>? </p>
<p>Ratings <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/can-nbc-halt-jimmy-fallons-long-ratings-tumble-1254270/">are down</a>, they point out. The shows can’t get over their <a href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2021/06/the-sad-decline-of-late-night-television">Trump obsession</a>. They represent <a href="https://www.themudmag.com/post/the-death-of-late-night">a bygone era of television</a>. </p>
<p>But in my view, late-night can still matter. Contrary to <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/4/21/23035573/why-late-night-talk-show-is-dead-snl-after-lorne">what some might say</a>, late-night is not “dead,” and it can come back. But if it doesn’t want to fall by the cultural wayside <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/major-league-baseballs-mlb-respect-strike-lockout-salaries-sports-money-players-canceled-games-cancellation-contract-dispute-11649613926">as baseball has</a>, it needs to do what the national pastime hasn’t: adapt and evolve.</p>
<h2>Asking the target demographic</h2>
<p>For nine years, I wrote for two late-night shows: “Late Night” and “The Tonight Show,” both hosted by Jimmy Fallon. I saw, firsthand, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-television-fallon-idINTRE5227FU20090303?edition-redirect=in">a fledgling show that aired at 12:30 a.m.</a> blossom into a <a href="https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/jimmy-fallons-debut-as-tonight-show-host-dominates-in-ratings-monday-1201110389/">hugely successful show in the coveted 11:30 p.m. slot</a>. I was also around for the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/arts/television/jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-interview-trump.html">beginning of its slide</a>.</p>
<p>When I began teaching Writing for Late Night at Emerson College in 2019, late-night remained formidable. At the start of a semester, I asked how many in class regularly viewed a network late-night talk show. Every student watched at least one; most, two. </p>
<p>By 2021, only about half said they tuned in, with most watching “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2244495/">The Eric Andre Show</a>” on Adult Swim and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637574/">Conan</a>” on TBS – the latter of which <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1009587267/conan-obrien-ends-tbs-show-leaves-late-night">would end in June 2021</a>. </p>
<p>This year, only around 30% of my late-night comedy students deemed themselves “regular” viewers of any of these shows. While I admired their honesty, I thought: This isn’t good.</p>
<p>So I asked my students, who make up a portion of late-night’s <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/06/late-night-ratings-late-show-wins-season-fifth-consecutive-year-1234772290/">key demographic</a> of 18-to-34-year-olds, “How would you change late-night?”</p>
<h2>Another spin of the news cycle</h2>
<p>A few themes emerged.</p>
<p>As one student observed, there is so much rehashing of stories that have already made news, it feels like you’re just watching more news. </p>
<p>Thus came the follow-up question: Why the need to intensely cover top news?</p>
<p>A suggestion from multiple students was to focus more on specific, relatable issues in monologues. I found this interesting, as that was the style of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wYs72Z4F7M">Joan Rivers</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVWIELHQQY">Craig Ferguson</a> – two examples of personalities who eschewed rapid-fire topicality in favor of issues affecting everyday people.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8wYs72Z4F7M?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Joan Rivers riffs on the frustrations of dealing with customer service representatives, mean parents and her disastrous wedding night.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What is the true entertainment value of six jokes about the debt ceiling? What if, instead of dreary news about gas prices, the economy or COVID-19, the focus were on topics like choosing to work from home, going back to movie theaters or picking a pricey streaming service? What if <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MalsOLSFvX0">the deep-dive style John Oliver has mastered</a> for Sunday nights were tailored to those who’ve trudged through Wednesday? </p>
<p>Former President Donald Trump still makes for <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NTptDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA45&dq=late+night+TV+comedy+bad+ratings&ots=o2cHVwQwvB&sig=IfprySSvVH_iyze_1FSlLXHM-do#v=onepage&q=late%20night%20TV%20comedy%20bad%20ratings&f=false">easy late-night fodder</a> – and remains <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/10/donald-trump-has-fundamentally-changed-late-night-comedy.html">a reliable source of late-night virality</a>. But <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2018/03/5-late-night-hosts-told-the-same-stormy-daniels-trump-joke.html">when the same exact Trump joke gets told by five hosts</a> – which actually happened in March 2018 – the formula probably isn’t sustainable. </p>
<h2>A generational disconnect</h2>
<p>A number of students noted that they sometimes find late-night shows patronizing, with the hosts making misguided assumptions about their generation. They don’t all love <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-korean-boy-band-bts-toppled-asian-stereotypes-and-took-america-by-storm-97596">the Korean boy band BTS</a> or want to hear <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGc37X4IoT0">celebrities talking about their lavish lives</a>. And they aren’t exactly on board with <a href="https://www.theverge.com/22310188/nft-explainer-what-is-blockchain-crypto-art-faq">non-fungible tokens</a>, or NFTs – the digital collectibles that have seen a spike in popularity over the past year.</p>
<p>In January 2022, two of my late-night classes and an office-hours meeting all began with some version of the same question: “<a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/paris-hilton-and-jimmy-fallon-showing-off-their-nfts-is-the-longest-77-seconds-ever/">What’s up with your old boss and this ape thing</a>?” </p>
<p>They were referring to a segment in which Jimmy Fallon interviewed Paris Hilton and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zi12wrh5So">compared their respective NFTs</a>. I found the clip fairly innocuous – but I’m no longer part of the target demographic.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5zi12wrh5So?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Funny or tone-deaf?</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In class, it was described as “tone-deaf” – two wealthy people comparing costly purchases of digital cartoons when aspiring writers can barely afford laptops. Some students spoke of feeling alienated by what has come to be known as “<a href="https://www.uncmirror.com/opinion/2022/04/18/opinion-forgetting-ukraine-how-pop-culture-overshadows-war/">celebrity culture</a>.”</p>
<p>I was tempted to push back on this. Big-name guests are draws. But then I thought about <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/12/28/373657763/obit-for-potato-lady-aka-myrtle-young">Myrtle Young</a>. </p>
<p>Myrtle was a one-time guest of Johnny Carson – an elderly woman from Indiana who collected potato chips that resembled objects and people.</p>
<p>It was awkward and bizarre, but heartwarming and real. Myrtle wasn’t trying to hawk her wares to people who couldn’t afford them; she was simply sharing a funny but entertaining passion.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Myrtle Young appears on a 1987 episode of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I’m not saying that audiences have to see some version of Myrtle and her chips each night. But do viewers need to see the same actor twice in one month, promoting the same movie they promoted last time they appeared?</p>
<h2>About the hosts …</h2>
<p>The most common suggestion from my students was that late-night needs more diversity.</p>
<p>A name that came up multiple times was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/arts/television/lilly-singh-week.html">Lilly Singh</a>, a hugely popular YouTube star who has amassed 14.7 million subscribers. </p>
<p>In 2019, Singh was announced as the new host for a nightly NBC show following Fallon and Seth Meyers – a move that was <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/youtube-star-lilly-singh-changing-talk-show-rules-a-little-late-1233240/">heralded as a much-needed diversification</a> from late-night’s “<a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/9/14/9325637/vanity-fair-late-night-men-samantha-bee">straight guy in a suit</a>” trope. </p>
<p>Singh is bisexual, Indian-Canadian – and, most importantly, funny. I viewed Singh as a “Tonight Show” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph1CwhhuaEY">host-in-waiting</a>. </p>
<p>But something went wrong. There were reports <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/a-little-late-with-lilly-singh-gets-new-showrunner-set-for-season-2-4098709/">of new showrunners</a>, <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/12/lilly-singh-nbc-new-showrunner-head-writer-1234635597/">new approaches</a> and, finally, <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/05/a-little-late-with-lilly-singh-to-end-on-nbc-netflix-kenya-barris-1234751161/">a cancellation</a>.</p>
<p>From the outside looking in, it seemed as if those who could help promote and empower Singh on the television side counted on the new host to promote the show herself on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. </p>
<p>But if someone’s already watching something on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, why would they set their DVRs for 1:30 a.m.? </p>
<p>Several students spoke positively of Singh’s show and appreciated that it played to an audience accustomed to viral videos while modernizing late-night norms. Is it possible <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/09/nbc-katie-hockmeyer-head-late-night-programming-evp-1202738995/">those in charge of late-night</a> just didn’t “get” Lilly Singh? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman dressed in black smiles." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461828/original/file-20220506-22-5ludlu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461828/original/file-20220506-22-5ludlu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461828/original/file-20220506-22-5ludlu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461828/original/file-20220506-22-5ludlu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461828/original/file-20220506-22-5ludlu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461828/original/file-20220506-22-5ludlu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461828/original/file-20220506-22-5ludlu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lilly Singh’s show was pulled after two years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/lilly-singh-speaks-onstage-during-the-2017-makers-news-photo/634164474?adppopup=true">Emma McIntyre/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It wouldn’t be the first time that a young host went through some growing pains. In 1993, Conan O’Brien was hammered by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111025184110/http://www.conanofthenight.com/15-09-93.html">one critic</a> after <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/17opclassic_conan.html">another</a> during a rocky start <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/27/arts/nbc-has-picked-an-unknown-writer-to-replace-letterman.html">replacing David Letterman</a> on “Late Night.” Even O'Brien admitted that it <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/conan-obriens-three-year-overnight-success-174220/">took his show approximately three years to find its voice</a>. By comparison, Singh was given two. </p>
<p>And with that, network viewers were left with a menu of five – soon to be four – white guys in suits: Corden, Fallon, Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. </p>
<p>I often wonder how I grew up with Rivers and <a href="https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hall-arsenio-1956/">Arsenio Hall</a> only to see things go backward. I also wonder why the performer I consider the most talented of all current hosts, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SE8oZvxuY0&list=PLnJ18wO8CEBx-DXxRYeMWPS3oi6qZxwg_&index=4">Amber Ruffin</a>, who is not a white guy in a suit, airs weekly on the streaming platform Peacock rather than nightly on broadcast TV.</p>
<p>It’s baffling that my students, who eagerly consume <a href="http://www.auntydonna.com">Aunty Donna</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=i+think+you+should+leave+official+site&client=safari&ei=yTRwYpnFI52qptQPzLee0A0&ved=0ahUKEwjZzeOLysH3AhUdlYkEHcybB9oQ4dUDCA4&uact=5&oq=i+think+you+should+leave+official+site&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQghEKsCOgcIABBHELADOgcIABCwAxBDOgoIABDkAhCwAxgBOgwILhDIAxCwAxBDGAI6BAgAEEM6BQgAEIAEOgQILhBDOgUILhCABDoFCAAQhgM6BggAEBYQHjoFCCEQoAE6CAghEBYQHRAeSgUIPBIBMUoECEEYAEoECEYYAVCCAViTDWCmDmgBcAF4AIABbogBmAmSAQQxMy4xmAEAoAEByAESwAEB2gEGCAEQARgJ2gEGCAIQARgI&sclient=gws-wiz">Tim Robinson</a>, <a href="https://www.sho.com/ziwe">Ziwe</a>, <a href="https://www.adultswim.com/videos/the-eric-andre-show/">Eric Andre</a> and <a href="https://www.sho.com/desus-and-mero">Desus & Mero</a>, get none of the above in mainstream late-night.</p>
<p>I can’t force those in power to make changes. But what I can do is report the views of my students – talented, intelligent writers who hope to hear their own jokes on television one day, but who often struggle to find a show from which to learn.</p>
<p>Conservative comic Greg Gutfeld <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-conservative-comic-greg-gutfeld-overtook-stephen-colbert-in-ratings-to-become-the-most-popular-late-night-tv-host-166867">is dominating ratings</a> not just because he’s cornered one demographic on Fox News, but because of systemic shortcomings on network TV.</p>
<p>Funny or not, Gutfeld knows his audience and wants to win. He cares. Yet <a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/columns/gutfeld-fox-news-review-comedy-late-night-1234947223/">the chorus remains</a> some version of, “He’s just a conservative blowhard from Manhattan who’s out of his element, and the sheen will eventually wear off.”</p>
<p>Interesting. The last time the pundits <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pollster-forecast-donald-trump-wrong_n_5823e1e5e4b0e80b02ceca15">were so arrogantly dismissive</a>, a network television host laughed all the way to the White House.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177028/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Rineman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Members of the key 18-to-34 demographic finds the format stale, the hosts unrelatable and the topics patronizing.Jon Rineman, Affiliated Faculty, Visual and Media Arts & Comedic Arts, Emerson CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1820112022-04-29T12:21:51Z2022-04-29T12:21:51ZWhat’s at stake for Trump, Twitter and politics if the tweeter-in-chief returns from banishment<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460375/original/file-20220428-12-ko7s56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=76%2C0%2C5596%2C3785&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Could the former tweeter-in-chief make a Twitter comeback?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-donald-trump-looks-at-his-phone-during-a-news-photo/1250536011?adppopup=true"> Alex Wong/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Any speculation about <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/25/musks-twitter-takeover-biden-officials-worry-trump-will-return-to-platform.html">whether Donald Trump will return to Twitter</a> after <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/technology/twitter-trump-suspended.html">his permanent suspension</a> in 2021 must begin with two caveats. First, we do not know for sure if, or when, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/04/25/business/elon-musk-twitter">presumed new owner of the social media platform, Elon Musk</a>, will lift the ban. Second, Trump <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/25/trump-wont-return-to-twitter/">has said he will not come back</a>. </p>
<p>“I was disappointed by the way I was treated by Twitter,” <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/25/donald-trump-says-he-wont-return-to-twitter-if-elon-musk-reverses-ban.html">Trump told CNBC on April 25, 2022</a>. “I won’t be going back on Twitter.”</p>
<p>But if Musk, Trump and social media have taught us anything, it is that the half-life of such caveats can be seconds. It is worth at least considering the premise: What’s at stake for Trump, Twitter and politics if he does return.</p>
<p>The pull of Twitter <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/25/trump-twitter-elon-musk-reinstatement/">might be irresistible</a> for Trump. Before being kicked off the platform for <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/suspension">what Twitter described as</a> “the risk of further incitement of violence” after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, Trump was a prolific user of the site. I know this firsthand: Between 2017 and 2021, <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-analyzed-all-of-trumps-tweets-to-find-out-what-he-was-really-saying-154532">I collected and analyzed all of his tweets</a> – some 20,301, excluding retweets and links without comment.</p>
<h2>Different platform, same narrative</h2>
<p>Trump was a potent narrator-in-chief on Twitter. Reaching <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/25/trump-twitter-elon-musk-reinstatement/">nearly 89 million followers</a> by the time of his suspension was only the beginning. In analyzing his use of Twitter, I found that he built a passionate base of loyalists through a <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-analyzed-all-of-trumps-tweets-to-find-out-what-he-was-really-saying-154532">consistent narrative that reflected their grievances</a>. He <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-shares-tweet-mocking-biden-face-mask-coronavirus-2020-5">attacked his rivals with mockery</a>, sold himself as the solution to all problems and used the day’s news to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/business/trump-calls-the-news-media-the-enemy-of-the-people.html">warn of enemies</a> near and far. </p>
<p>This high-emotion, high-stakes approach seemed impossible for journalists to ignore. That meant his message often jumped from Twitter to <a href="https://firstdraftnews.org/long-form-article/cable-news-trumps-tweets/">much larger audiences</a>, usually thanks to media outlets that treated his tweets as news. </p>
<p>Sometimes it was news. He <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_trump-fires-defense-secretary-twitter/6198148.html">hired and fired on Twitter</a> and announced many other major decisions there.</p>
<p>Twitter allowed him <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/694755">to speak directly</a>, without a filter, to his base. At the same time, it was a production plant for a never-ending news cycle. It is hard to imagine the Trump presidency without Twitter. And it might be even harder to imagine that he could <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22421396/donald-trump-social-media-ban-facebook-twitter-decrease-drop-impact-youtube">command the same level of attention</a> without it. </p>
<p>Would the public see a different Trump if he returned? Trump’s 16 months in the Twitter wilderness suggest that won’t happen. Examining his primary forms of communication post-Twitter – <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/news-d38qgpn9ym1903">press releases</a> on his website and <a href="https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-delivers-keynote-speech-in-florida-4-21-22-transcript">speeches</a> – the former president has attacked others, defended himself, picked favorites and enumerated grievances just like he did on Twitter.</p>
<p>Trump seems to be the same digital yarn-spinner who sold a large swath of Americans on his basic premise, <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-analyzed-all-of-trumps-tweets-to-find-out-what-he-was-really-saying-154532">which I summarize as</a>: “The establishment is stopping me from protecting you against invaders.”</p>
<p>Analyzing those post-Twitter communications, it is clear that Trump hasn’t changed this narrative. If anything, the story has become even more potent because the establishment and the invaders are now more regularly one and the same in Trump’s rhetoric. A <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/news-hdmbe2yxku1877">sample press release</a> from April 18 indicates as much: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“… the racist and highly partisan Attorney General of New York State, failed Gubernatorial candidate Letitia James, should focus her efforts on saving the State of New York and ending its reputation as a Crime Capital of the World, instead of spending millions of dollars and utilizing a large portion of her office in going after Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization (for many years!), who have probably done more for New York than virtually any other person or group …” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>All the elements that characterize Trump’s messaging are there: mocking a supposed persecutor, aggrandizing his own accomplishments and ultimately creating a narrative in which he, and everyone who agrees, is a victim. It taps into a larger narrative that institutions, such as journalists and politicians, have ruined America and harmed its “real” citizens in every way from economics to popular culture. Trump’s presentation of himself as both victim and hero clearly gratifies people who believe that story. </p>
<p>You do not have to look that hard for indicators as to how a Trump return to Twitter could play out – they are seen in the multiple press statements he releases on a daily basis. In four such statements released the day after Musk’s Twitter announcement, Trump railed against the <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/news-vu55yk5pjk1946">changing of the Cleveland Indians name</a>, <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/news-256kdr5knb1948">endorsed a pro-Trump candidate</a> for Congress and <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/news-xnek5yzzjs1949">encouraged supporters to watch a new film</a> made by “incredible Patriots” who were “exposing this great election fraud.” That last statement ended with a rallying call to spread the message that “the 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen!”</p>
<h2>Blue checks and red lines</h2>
<p>While Trump has stated he will not return to Twitter, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/25/trump-twitter-elon-musk-reinstatement/">former advisers</a>, speaking anonymously, are not so sure. That might be because his website where the press releases are posted <a href="https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/donaldjtrump.com">ranked 34,564th for engagement</a> on April 27, according to Alexa. Twitter, that same day, ranked 12th. <a href="https://truthsocial.com/">Truth Social</a>, the social media app founded by Trump, would have to be wildly successful to offset the power of attention and influence that Trump enjoyed on Twitter.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>What would a Musk-owned Twitter do if Trump, allowed back on the platform, continued to say false and misleading things?</p>
<p>Tagging tweets as false or misleading, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-11-03/twitter-trump-2020-election-night-tweet-disclaimer">as Trump’s</a> <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/twitter-flags-trump-tweet/story?id=72970494">frequently were</a> toward the end of his time on Twitter, may, for the “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/14/how-free-speech-absolutist-elon-musk-would-transform-twitter">free speech absolutist</a>” that Musk claims to be, cross some perceived line. In any case, it might not be that effective. A <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/02/fact-checks-effectively-counter-covid-misinformation">recent experiment</a> at Cornell University found that tagging false claims on a platform such as Facebook or Twitter “had no effect on survey participants’ perception of its accuracy and actually increased their likelihood of sharing it on social media.” </p>
<p>The same study found that fact checking and “rebutting the false claim with links to additional information” was more successful, making people less likely to believe the false information. And Twitter has <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2021/introducing-birdwatch-a-community-based-approach-to-misinformation">begun experimenting with a fact-checking</a> feature to correct false information on the platform. Paying attention to what happens to that feature might give some indication as to how much will be tolerated from Trump should he go back on Twitter. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, despite Musk’s <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1517215066550116354">desire to go after Twitter bots</a> – the presence of which are thought to have amplified Trump’s voice and <a href="https://time.com/5286013/twitter-bots-donald-trump-votes/">potentially his share of the vote</a> – <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/common-thread/en/topics/stories/2021/four-truths-about-bots">that may prove a difficult undertaking</a>. </p>
<h2>I’ve changed … really</h2>
<p>How will the media respond should the former president return to Twitter, given his previous success in using the platform <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819893987">to spark media coverage</a>. Research has found that not only was Trump successful in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819893987">boosting coverage of himself through tweeting</a>, he was also able to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19644-6">divert media from reporting on potentially negative topics</a> that could hurt his standing by tweeting about something completely different.</p>
<p>It’s not clear whether the media will again choose to follow and amplify Trump’s tweets with the same frequency.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, changing a platform like Twitter to address some of the concerns associated with a returning Trump is a massive undertaking. And the chances of Trump himself changing seem even less likely. So should it happen, don’t be surprised if a Trump-Twitter reunion looks a lot like the first go-round.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182011/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Humphrey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Analysis of Trump’s post-Twitter communications suggest that the former president has not moderated his messaging style. So what does that mean if he were to go back on Twitter?Michael Humphrey, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Communication, Colorado State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1818472022-04-26T18:05:54Z2022-04-26T18:05:54ZKibaki’s Kenya education legacy: well-intentioned, with disastrous consequences<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459426/original/file-20220425-12-tcmyi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Kenya’s former president Mwai Kibaki, who <a href="https://theconversation.com/mwai-kibaki-president-who-squandered-the-opportunity-to-fix-kenya-141631">died last week</a>, was widely praised for his economic transformation of Kenya, first as finance minister from 1969 to 1982 and then as the third president of Kenya from 2002 to 2013. </p>
<p>But Kibaki also left an enduring legacy on Kenya’s education sector. </p>
<p>Kibaki left his mark on education in two areas: the widening of access to education and the embrace of a business-style model for universities. </p>
<p>When Kibaki came to office, there was an education access crisis in both basic and higher education. </p>
<p>Numerous charges introduced by schools (such as building funds and activity fees) had increased the cost of education for the poor. Primary school enrolment was around <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/ejes.v5no1a2">86%</a> but, in 2002, the transition rate, from primary to secondary school stood at <a href="https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/10300.pdf">just 46%</a>. </p>
<p>The growing demand for university education, due to population growth, limited access to only those who had performed exceptionally well in secondary education. Furthermore, university governance and operations had been constrained by political interference by the political class. </p>
<p>Kibaki’s goals were to expand access both in primary and university education, and to make universities more efficient and self-sustaining by reforming management and commercialising them. </p>
<p>These contributions, though positive, also had their drawbacks. </p>
<h2>Free primary education</h2>
<p>When he took office as president in 2003, Kibaki launched the widely praised <a href="https://www.pd.co.ke/news/free-primary-education-policy-freed-many-from-ignorance-124677/">Free Primary Education</a> programme. Under it, all fees in primary schools were abolished. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Primary school fees were first abolished in 1978 but, due to declining state support, schools introduced a myriad of non-tuition fees. This defeated the goal of free primary education.</p>
<p>Kibaki’s government strategy <a href="https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ressources/kenya_kessp_final_2005.pdf">allocated</a> each public school grants based on student enrolment. This allowed them to buy textbooks and meet other operational costs. This meant <a href="https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ressources/kenya_kessp_final_2005.pdf">increasing</a> the education budget from 12.4% of the national budget in 2004 to 17.4% in 2005.</p>
<p>The Free Primary Education programme <a href="https://wenr.wes.org/2015/06/education-kenya">enabled</a> millions of poor children to enroll in school. It is estimated that primary school enrolment <a href="https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july-2005/giant-step-kenya%E2%80%99s-schools">rose from</a> 6 million in 2000 to 7.4 million in 2004. </p>
<p>Free Primary Education was, and continues to be, a noble program that addresses equality in primary education access. Nevertheless, its implementation had disastrous consequences for equity and quality in education. </p>
<p>No extra classrooms were built nor additional teachers hired. This resulted in overcrowded classrooms with overworked teachers. Indeed, the teacher-student ratio <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015571488">increased from</a> one teacher to 40 students, to one teacher for 60 students. The deterioration of quality of public schools became evident and <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-bad-economics-of-free-primary-education/">poor performance</a> in national exams proved this. </p>
<p>Those that could afford it, removed their children from well-performing public schools and enrolled them in expensive private academies. It is during Kibaki’s regime that the country saw the rise of high-cost private schools populated by scions of the middle and upper class. Indeed, enrolment in private academies <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-bad-economics-of-free-primary-education/">almost tripled</a> between 2005 to 2009 from 4.4% to 10.5%.</p>
<p>I also believe it nurtured an education entrepreneurial class whose interest in education was merely profit rather than the overall education of the child.</p>
<p>Equally troubling for Free Private Education programme was the weak financial oversight that resulted in massive theft of public funds. While some reports in 2009 <a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/news/exposed-how-officials-looted-schools-millions--618150?view=htmlamp">indicated</a> that Ksh.178 million (US$1.54 million) of the program’s funds were squandered by senior education officials and headteachers, other reports <a href="https://kenyastockholm.com/2011/12/27/kibakis-free-primary-education-how-funds-were-looted-part-2/">estimate</a> that billions could have been stolen. </p>
<p>Upon his election in 2002, president Kibaki had declared corruption <a href="https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/war-against-corruption-kenya">would cease</a> to be a way of life in his government. However Kibaki’s vaunted anti-graft campaign found its waterloo in his pet education project.</p>
<h2>Commercialisation of universities</h2>
<p>Kibaki’s reform footprints in education are also still evident the university sector. Kibaki’s presidential term saw the greatest expansion of public university education in the country. When he took office, Kenya had only six public universities. When he left in 2013 the number had grown to 22. Most of the 17 (77%) public universities were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015612519">established in one year</a>, between 2012-2013. </p>
<p>Student enrolment <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1083615.pdf">grew</a> from 71,832 in 2003 to <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20140508075050866">195,428</a> in 2013. Kibaki valued access to quality higher education as the key drive to economic growth. He <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20130208120627703">argued</a> that Kenya’s university education should be benchmarked against global standards and market needs.</p>
<p>Kibaki’s ultimate aim for universities was that they raise their own revenue and be less dependent on government. Hitherto, public universities depended on state funding for development, maintenance and operations supplemented by a modest state-regulated student tuition fees. </p>
<p>To do this, he commercialised universities and set about infusing them with corporate-style governance structures. He depoliticised the chancellorship by appointing corporate leaders and scholars as public university chancellors. This was a dramatic break from the past. His predecessor, Daniel arap Moi, was the chancellor of all the public universities. </p>
<p>In this new leadership structure, Kibaki expected policies and decisions in the universities be driven by financial and academic considerations rather than political calculations. This meant universities also had to plan for resources that would come from elsewhere, rather than the exchequer.</p>
<p>It is policy that saw public universities launch a range of initiatives in a bid to commercialise their operations. Ventures included:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>academic programmes that included parallel programs, that is, admission of additional self-sponsored students who paid higher tuition fees beyond the normal government-funded students </p></li>
<li><p>the creation of mortuaries: medical schools in universities started offering body mortuary services to the public at a fee </p></li>
<li><p>establishment of branch campuses to admit more fee-paying self-sponsored students beyond the immediate location of the main university</p></li>
</ul>
<p>But Kibaki’s vision of vibrant well-resourced public universities raising additional revenues to supplement government grants failed to materialise. </p>
<p>Today, many public universities are on the brink of financial insolvency with debts to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2019.97.10949">tune of</a> Ksh10 billion (US$87 million). Many are unable to meet basic operating expenses.</p>
<p>But these university reforms had unintended consequences. Their extensive commercialisation of universities and expanded access resulted in decline in quality of learning, a challenge that still haunts the universities today. </p>
<p>In 2016, the government <a href="https://doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2016.86.9370">had to reverse</a> course and outlaw branch campuses and parallel programs to stem the tide of quality decline. </p>
<p>Significantly, Kibaki’s expansion of public universities was in response to demand by ethnic groups for a campus in their jurisdiction. Thus, while he espoused corporate-style management of universities, his expansion strategy was <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/hep.2012.18">laced</a> with ethnic politics of university ownership. He awarded charters for establishment of public universities in response to pressure from ethnic groups seeking universities in their locality. </p>
<h2>In pursuit of the impossible</h2>
<p>The benefits of Kibaki’s education reforms were less obvious than many of the transformative economic blueprint which delivered considerable benefits to the country. </p>
<p>He wanted to achieve the impossible in education: pursue equity through expanded access while infusing excellence through neoliberalism. But the lack of a focused and clear strategy only magnified the unintended consequences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181847/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ishmael Munene does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Kibaki’s goals were to expand access to education, and to make universities more efficient and self-sustaining.Ishmael Munene, Professor of Research, Foundations & Higher Education, Northern Arizona UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1791212022-03-30T13:28:08Z2022-03-30T13:28:08ZAlgorithms, bots and elections in Africa: how social media influences political choices<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452825/original/file-20220317-23-1up3n81.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Social media provides spaces for participation -- but also for misinformation.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The rise in the use of smartphones and an <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/">increased adoption</a> of mobile internet in Africa are fundamentally altering the media ecology for election campaigns. </p>
<p>As mobile phones become <a href="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/blog/the-state-of-mobile-internet-connectivity-in-sub-saharan-africa/">commonplace</a>, even in Africa’s poorest countries, the uptake of social media has become ubiquitous. Applications like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp and blogs form an integral part of today’s political communication landscape in much of the continent. </p>
<p>These platforms are becoming a dominant factor in electoral processes, playing a <a href="https://theconversation.com/analysis-across-africa-shows-how-social-media-is-changing-politics-121577">tremendous role</a> in the creation, dissemination and consumption of political content. </p>
<p>Their influence and embedded power over political content invites further scrutiny, which informed <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-30553-6_2">my research</a>.
Is the rise in social media uptake in the continent a game changer in political communications? And if it is, does social media influence political campaigns? </p>
<p>To answer these questions, I considered the interplay between elements in the infrastructure of social media and human agency. </p>
<p>The infrastructure refers to the architecture that makes up social media systems. Even though the infrastructure is not immediately visible, it plays a critical role in the (re)production and dissemination of information. </p>
<p>Human agency entails the choices human beings make when they interact with social media systems.</p>
<p>I found that there are three main ways that political campaigns are influenced via social media: through algorithms, bots and the people who use them.</p>
<h2>The power of algorithms</h2>
<p>Imbued in social media platforms, with the exception of WhatsApp, is a system of software, codes and algorithms that manage, interpret and disseminate large quantities of information across social media networks. </p>
<p>The power of the algorithm is in its ability to search, sort, rank, prioritise and recommend the content consumed by users. The system, therefore, influences the choices we make. </p>
<p>Algorithms watch your behaviour when you interact with certain content in the platform, make assumptions and predictions on your preferences, and then recommend similar content in your feed. </p>
<p>For instance, if you constantly interact with posts – by liking, replying or sharing – from certain individuals, you are likely to see more posts from them. If you have shown interest in watching videos from a political outfit, you are likely to get more videos from them. </p>
<p>Which items are promoted and why? We may never know why the algorithms are coded (by programmers) in such a way as to rank certain items, individuals or political parties higher. What we know is that these algorithms influence what people see or don’t see.</p>
<p>They have the power to amplify and marginalise certain content and, like human gatekeepers in traditional mass media, determine what information users are exposed to. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-and-fake-news-are-battering-traditional-media-in-kenya-82920">How social media and fake news are battering traditional media in Kenya</a>
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<p>For example, Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm determines what is shown on a user’s Top News by displaying only a subset of stories by one’s friends. These are derived from a set of factors, such as the type of content (links, videos or photos) and the frequency and types of interactions with these friends (like tags or comments). </p>
<p>Similarly, Twitter algorithms display ranked tweets. That is, first they rank them and then display what they think is most relevant to the user.</p>
<p>These algorithms are not neutral. They encode political choices, influencing the information seen by users. When a user opens his or her social media account, he or she will be met by algorithm-filtered and recommended content, based on prior activities and interactions on the platform. </p>
<p>People are then likely to share visible information on non-algorithm-based applications like WhatsApp and Messenger, as well as in mainstream media. </p>
<h2>Bots and deepfakes</h2>
<p>Social bots can also be deployed to manipulate public opinion and influence votes. They mimic and potentially manipulate humans and their behaviour on social networks. They run automatically to produce messages, post online and interact with users through likes, comments and follows (fake accounts). </p>
<p>Even more worrisome is the rise of deepfakes. This involves the use of artificial intelligence to fabricate images and videos by replacing the face or voice of someone, usually a public figure, with someone else’s in a way that makes the content look authentic. </p>
<p>The intention is often to mislead the audience and make them believe that the targeted public figure said something (often controversial or provocative). </p>
<p>As noted by Portland Communications, a strategic communications consultancy, in their report, <a href="https://portland-communications.com/publications/how-africa-tweets-2018/">How Africa Tweets</a>, Twitter bots account for more than 20% of influencers in countries like Lesotho and Kenya. </p>
<p>One of the surprising findings in the report was the limited influence of politicians on the conversation. </p>
<h2>Human element</h2>
<p>African political parties are spending huge sums hiring consultancy companies with expertise in digital campaigning and even manipulation of social media content. </p>
<p>International consultancy firms like the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/03/cambridge-analytica-closing-what-happened-trump-brexit">now defunct Cambridge Analytica (CA)</a> have been accused of attempting to influence digital campaigns in Africa and in other parts of the world. CA worked on several campaigns in Russia, the UK, USA and Kenya. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/03/20/how-cambridge-analytica-poisoned-kenyas-democracy/">Kenya</a>, it emerged that President Uhuru Kenyatta had hired CA ahead of the 2013 elections. CA’s activities sparked global outcry when it became known, culminating in its collapse. </p>
<p>It is evident that those with political power and money can easily hire automated systems, like bots, to influence the flow of political content across social media. They can also <a href="https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-researc/168076277c">distort information</a>. </p>
<p>The role of non-human actors should be worrying to anyone keen on democratic processes. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-is-being-misused-in-kenyas-political-arena-why-its-hard-to-stop-it-177586">Social media is being misused in Kenya's political arena. Why it's hard to stop it</a>
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<p>There are indications that social media algorithms and bots are slowly changing the dynamics of elections in Africa. This is seen in the number of political parties hiring a new breed of communicators, such as social media managers.</p>
<p>The interplay between media and politics is central to any understanding of political campaigns, given their role as conduits of political information, persuasion and discussion. Social media provides spaces for participation – but also for misinformation and disinformation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179121/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin N Ndlela does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The system behind apps like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp isn’t neutral. It encodes political communication, influencing what users see.Martin N Ndlela, Professor of Communication, Inland Norway University of Applied SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.