It's time for journalists to rise to the challenge
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In this digital age, a journalist's job is not just providing information but also giving audiences perspective, interpretation and context of the news, as well as analysing the situation.
Nowadays, mainstream media and social media seem to work in the same ecosystem, as news from mainstream media flows through social networks.
Similarly, mainstream media picks up hot topics from social media. Sadly, some journalists take the easy way out and don’t bother to verify, investigate or even find out if these stories are newsworthy.
Something like this happened just last week. A video clip of a young girl using very bad language, abusing the person who stole her fried chicken and sticky rice, that went viral on social media was picked up by mainstream media and became news. Apparently, the journalist considered this item more significant than the European Space Agency’s probe Philae landing on a comet.
Of course, this decision gave rise to a lot of criticism from the general public and journalists themselves, who are now calling on Thai mainstream media to be more professional.
Journalists should really be using their skills to verify data and see if the information is really newsworthy before spreading it. Perhaps they should get out of the habit of picking up Internet memes and turning them into news.
Another clip that went viral and showed up in mainstream media was the recording of a driver’s downright bad behaviour on Bang Na-Trat Road. In this case though, the Traffic Control and Command Centre picked up the news, tracked down the offending driver and sentenced him to a month in jail.
These incidents are an indication that social media empowers people to reach a large number of people. Social media puts people in the spotlight almost immediately – both in a positive and negative manner.
Similarly, social media can empower or disempower journalists when it comes to distinguishing between stories and real news.
Also, with social media allowing everybody to “report” in real-time, there is often information overload and chaos.
The world still needs journalists to help disseminate noteworthy information, but the power of social media is challenging them to improve their abilities and professionalism in an environment that is disrupted by fast-developing technology.
