Beyond Slanted
Lamenting the Demise of Journalistic Integrity in a Postmodern, Post-Truth Age
“Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give voice to the voiceless.” — Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics
Despite the general consensus we see online, read in the news, and hear whispered over half-caff lattes, the most significant and, thus, terrifying impact of this year’s election is only tangentially related to the victor. More corrupt than Hillary Clinton and scarier than Donald Trump is the rapidly accelerating devolution of the mainstream media’s sense of journalistic integrity.
Many of you are already protesting, prickled by the thought of being included among the other party’s members. You think you’re in the clear because you believe the majority of the corruption is sourced from the other side. Some of you might even dare to say that all of it is. Although you may find yourself in the majority, a place that is likely too comfortable, I urge you to resist such thoughts, as they themselves feed into the downfall of journalistic integrity. Ours is a problem that comes from both sides, from all sides: callous and unconcerned for political predilection. Its presence is nearly ubiquitous; its effect, beyond destructive. And we are all to blame.
Rearing its ugly head in unprecedented fashion this election season, major mainstream media conglomerates have abandoned any pretense of respect for verifiable information in favor of haphazard spurts of sycophantic diatribe. Though you might be tempted to think of this overt shift as an improvement because of the transparency it should cast on media corruption, such a realization would require the millions of publication-obsessed fanatics to question their own motivations, a self-reflective investigation altogether foreign to the masses. Instead, tainted publications accumulate more power because of their unapologetic supporters who are, in turn, spurred on by their favorite panderer’s unapologetic, prejudice-lined rhetoric. This cycle viciously consumes any in its path, relentless in its fervor as much as its unwillingness to admit fault. Such qualities exacerbate the journalism-related concerns by increasing the reach and absorption of distorted truths.
It’s as if an exceptionally dirty, urine-soaked snowball were galumphing toward a crowd of people, most of whom — instead of turning around to run — hold out their arms to embrace it as its sloppiness envelopes and suffocates them.
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Central to the creation of the problem is a multilayered role reversal. Once, industry leaders strived to uncover the truth at all costs before sharing related findings with their subscribers. Now, news sources put the preconceived beliefs and ideologies of their audience on a pedestal, letting these biased principles impact the funneling of information that is supposed to be unbiased in nature. You might be able to claim that such funneling is acceptable for a publication; you cannot, however, argue that it is truthful any more than you can defend a child’s devious omission of important information. And, either way, it corrodes mainstream media publications’ credibility because conscientious readers must now analyze a publication’s target audience before gauging a given article’s truth value.
It is understandable, albeit unhelpful, for an audience member to judge an article based entirely on political or other ideological predispositions. It is deplorable, however, when any article pretending to be news is written based on the perceived predispositions of that news source’s audience. Traditionally, strict ethical guidelines have dictated that journalists focus on what they observe before drawing conclusions. More specifically, they should always endeavor to “seek truth and report it,” according to the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics. In our day and age, however, this mantra is no longer sacred. More and more slanted pieces make their way into publication, and rather than protest, readers celebrate the prejudice by sharing the content on social media. When money matters more to a news source than its responsibility to the truth, that truth is cast aside. When identity as part of a group is more important to us than our obligation to the truth, it begins to decay. And that decay is exactly what is happening across the country — in epidemic proportions.
This systemic shift is a travesty of journalism and a threat to the accessibility of reliable information across the world. Truth has been sacrificed to viewers’ subjectivity; credibility replaced by the wishes of an unruly, untrustworthy, and self-aggrandizing audience. Instead of adhering to a bare minimum standard of truth-centered consideration, journalistic endeavors have begun to imitate those of the entertainment industry. Desperate to maintain profitability in the modern, internet-addicted generation, mainstream media sources have learned to produce short snippets of content which pander to marketing goals — often falling under the category of “click bait” — in place of truly newsworthy content. In doing so, the publications and their audiences alike have grown far too comfortable with these pandering half-truths, to the point of abandoning all pretense to filter them. Lost is the will to distinguish between what is meaningful and what is moronic, to the detriment of all.
These marketing goals are closely related to a given audience’s political preferences, as the latter information serves as the filter through which all of a right or left-leaning publication’s content must stream. As a result, the publications are reduced to being mere promoters and entertainers, muddling the little truth they do publish by blending it with bitter personal attacks and dubious rants. What’s worse, many of them go so far as to openly ally themselves with politicians vying for public office: for example, Donald Trump’s connection to Breitbart, whose chairman served as head of Trump’s campaign; or, similarly, The New York Times’ relentless support for Hillary Clinton, which led them to rage a determined, but ultimately unsuccessful war against Trump. The latter struggle stooped so low as to hide the majority of sources behind scathing articles as anonymous and misquote a former girlfriend, allegedly. This conflict between major news source and then presidential candidate has been covered by several other publications, including features by CNN Money and the National Review. Just the fact that no one seems to mind newspapers publicly endorsing political candidates points back to the deep-rooted nature of the problem, and the extent to which it has spread. The greed of the suits running the mainstream media is matched only by the blindness of their followers.
The outcome I’ve been describing has already taken hold of the thoughts and sentiments of the American people, likely starting decades ago. Creeping at first, the insidious corruption of any remaining sense of unity or civility is sprinting now, spurred on by left and right-leaning publications alike, each of which pander more than report. Capitalizing on the bipolar political environment in the United States, major news sources — red and blue alike — have profited heavily from feeding Americans’ innate desire to oppose by poking and prodding their basest human desires. Like the Romans of old, reveling in their gory gladiatorial contests, modern consumers of news have cauterized their consciences by focusing only on the fun they’re having: morals set aside for self-gratification.
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Of paramount importance to the successful navigation of American affairs is the concept of checks and balances. In much the same way that Congress should keep an overeager POTUS at bay, every news publication’s audience bears a responsibility to demand displays of journalistic excellence — both in terms of content and adherence to ethical standards. Though these readers and viewers shouldn’t have to step in often, media sources need to know that there is a metaphorical line they cannot cross when it comes to what and how they report. A well-educated and concerned readership has the ability to provide a buffer of sorts, holding their favorite publication accountable and protecting other members of the audience at the same time. The opposite serves as fuel to the bias-saturated wildfire that has been sweeping across the nation in a flurry of self-righteous tweets.
Unfortunately, however, this sense of accountability exists no more, if it ever did. Even worse, everyday Americans have encouraged this ethical disintegration not only through their complacency, but through their unwillingness to take the blinders off, so to speak, when sifting through news sources. Rather than viewing this pursuit as a quest for truth that is motivated by a thirst for knowledge, catching up on the news has become nothing more than a search for external affirmation: for most, it seems, finding an article that agrees with one’s prior beliefs is of paramount importance. Biased publications of all flavors are more than happy to oblige and add to the madness, indulging readers by reassuring them that the other group is the crazy one, not them — never them.
Desperate to be part of something bigger than themselves, politically minded people across the country cling to these media-borne lies because the thought of moderating and balancing one’s influx of information isn’t nearly so appealing as applauding an angry rant from whatever pundits of the week Fox and MSNBC are featuring. When presented with evidence to the contrary, viewers tend to shrug off the falsehood because it is, after all, “probably something that person would do.” Knowing they are part of a group who thinks similarly is often enough for these viewers, and they pay no attention to the glaring inconsistencies they encounter, dismissing them as lies from the other side. Thank God the court system doesn’t work the same way…we hope.
Make no mistake: this is no victimless crime. Both sides’ willingness to overlook the facts in favor of slanted reporting is equally disconcerting because the combined effort chips away at more than the not-so-newsworthy conglomerates’ credibility. It erodes a community’s ability to discern what’s true and what’s fabricated, to the point of distorting individuals’ very perception of reality. On a mass scale — facilitated by the nearly limitless sharing capabilities of Facebook and Twitter — this distortion shifts culture and alters society, irrevocably changing lives.
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Technology’s continued role in the shaping of mass media cannot be overstated. The arrival of total internet reliance has forced news sources to focus more and more on web-based content and shift the focus away from lengthy, substantial print copy. At first, print and web content existed in tandem; now, more often than not, audiences disregard everything except what is posted online. In addition to impacting the preferred length of articles — with modern audiences drastically favoring shorter pieces — this significant industry change has caused publications and readers to shift their focus away from the local to nationally relevant news.
In turn, this encourages an added measure of sensationalism because it bombards us with the problems of a few people far away in another part of the country. Much like the drivers who can’t help but gawk at the smoldering wreck on the side of the road, we delight ourselves in the ever-ready, GIF-sized distractions dressed as news. However, as a result, we lose what’s most important in a billowing cloud of smoke — we lose our ability to prioritize and discern.
Truth is dead, and we are changed. We should not be content to sway back and forth with the tide of society, but we are just the same. It is comfortable, warm, and inviting. It’s what you know. It’s what I know.
This needs to change.
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Words carry considerable power, and journalists bear a particular responsibility when it comes to preserving their integrity. When leveraged to expose the raw truth behind reality, words elevate the reader and cast light where darkness once reigned; used to disguise the truth, however, they destroy as thoroughly as any war. Lately, it seems, the mainstream media most often exhibits the latter, growing more and more comfortable with its own corruption by the minute.
This has happened because we’ve allowed it, but it need not continue. We can resist — we can change.
We have to.