Love, GenZ
The End of Traditional Journalism
is the Beginning of Something New
By Sadie Levy
Is social media putting an end to traditional journalism? I think it’s natural evolution.
Many, however, disagree. A number of journalists report that social media platforms have negatively affected their industry. The general population no longer gets most of their news from TV stations or print newspapers. As the world we live in advances, everyday Americans have been shifting to using the internet as their major source of news.
Many believe that receiving news from social media contributes to inaccurate and biased information.
Yet in today’s world, there is misinformation in many different forms of news, not just the internet. The line between news and entertainment continues to blur. There is a growing responsibility on media consumers to approach news with caution, to fact check, and to be a skeptical audience.
Social media also gives a platform to voices that wouldn’t otherwise have one.
This certainly risks credibility of information and allows for more opinion than fact. I also see it as a democratic movement and potentially vital development in journalism. The opportunity for citizens to have a platform aligns with some of the core values of journalism such as transparency and offering voices who might not have been heard before a place to be listened to.
For example, when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February, everyday Ukrainians were providing updates in real time.
Posting videos, photographs, and stories of what they were experiencing. This new capability spread information to the rest of the world before extensive articles could be published or other means of news could reach consumers. My generation was informed on current issues more than ever before.
Many journalists and news broadcasting platforms have taken part in using social media as a means of communication with their audiences. Americans want consumer convenience, and social media is accessible, quick, and easy.
Journalism can take many forms. It won’t be exclusively digital, but it is and will continue to be a crucial platform for journalists to use to keep up with the cultural media advancements.
Sadie Levy is a Junior at Waynflete high school in Portland, Maine. She loves writing and adventuring in nature.
