The battle between media companies and foreign governments over who controls the news dates back some 150 years, to when European and US wire services dictated the world’s headlines.
With regional news outlets long in decline, people have been increasingly turning to social media for information. Facebook’s news ban places that under threat.
No news isn’t necessarily good news. News is powerful, and helps us to stay connected and informed. But it’s important we regulate our news consumption - particularly during times of crisis.
Journalists use real people’s stories to ‘humanize’ the news. But these tales – whether harrowing or heartwarming – can be misleading about the pandemic’s greatest threats.
It is a tenet of American journalism that reporters working for the news sections of newspapers remain entirely independent of the opinion sections. But that wall may be invisible to readers.
According to the Australian Newsroom Mapping Project, there have been 200 contractions of news operations since March. But ‘news deserts’ were a growing problem long before coronavirus.
Reporters are trained to advance a story and report what is new. But that approach can end up shortchanging news consumers, who need greater context and persistent focus on an ongoing story.