social media and traditional journalism essay

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The Effects of Social Media on Traditional Journalism

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Traditional Journalism and Social Media Journalism: Accuracy Problem

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Journalism and Social Media pp 23–45 Cite as

Social Media and Journalism Practice

• Diana Bossio 2  
• First Online: 27 October 2017

2569 Accesses

‘Social Media and Journalism Practice’ explores how traditional journalism practice is being disrupted by social media cultures of communication. Bossio argues that norms of journalism practice have transitioned in response to the social and technological affordances enabled by increasing use of social media. The chapter analyses specific moments of transition in some traditional norms of journalistic practice, including maintaining objectivity in reportage, using processes of verification, and finally, asserting professional autonomy over individual work practice. These transitions have enabled new forms of journalistic practice that are increasingly collaborative, and prioritise authentic and transparent processes of presenting the news.

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Social Media Replacing Traditional Journalism Research Paper

How social media is replacing traditional journalism, literature review, research method, presentation and discussion of data, works cited.

Nowadays more people are getting news through social media, such as Facebook, YouTube, BuzzFeed, and fewer people buy printed newspapers. This research shows that due to the development in the digital world, the majority of people tend to refer to their devices when searching for news instead of buying a printed source and that social media is replacing traditional journalism. According to the information gained from the literature review and interviews, social media is used much more often than printed newspapers; the news discussed online is perceived as trustworthy, and people appreciate the opportunity to get news much quicker on social media.

Introduction

The world is changing rapidly and today we are already living in the age when information plays an extremely important role in the lives of individuals. Moreover, due to the development in the digital world, the majority of people tend to refer to their devices when searching for news instead of buying a printed source.

According to the research results that can be found on Schools.com, social media becomes a more and more preferable source of information. They tend to replace traditional journalism so that more than 45% of Americans refer to their mobile phones when they are looking for local news (Bennett par. 1). Still, the controller of digital and technology for BBC Global News has another view on this situation. He claims that social media just tends to complement traditional sources of information, proving a simple access to the wide range of news, including those not mentioned by others (Kohli-Khandekar par. 8). However, as the tendency to refer to social media increases, there is a huge possibility that soon it will replace traditional journalism.

Hypothesis One – People are increasingly relying on social media to get news rather than buying traditional printed newspaper

People are constantly willing to develop and, as a result, they give preference to the innovative sources of information, forgetting about the old ones. Having a desire to be up-to-date, the general public, utilize emerging devices and the opportunities they provide them with. A traditional printed newspaper is a thing that exists for many years already, so now it has nothing to surprise the readers. Social media, on the other hand, appeared not long ago and is still developing. They are frequently updated and have low entering barriers. Social media allow the readers to be closer to the journalists and give them a chance to communicate and receive their feedback.

Hypothesis Two – People think that news from social media is more trustworthy than news from traditional printed newspaper

From the very beginning, social media were seen as the platform for communication. Using them, individuals exchanged different information without a particular desire to spread the news. They were honest in their statements and shared their vision. The approach is thought to be the same today even though the news got on a higher level. Traditional journalism was always filtered. The information it presents is checked by several individuals and corrected so that the final product occurs to be perceived as an adjusted version of the real events. People tend to trust those who are showing their emotions and beliefs directly, so they consider social media to be more reliable than a printed newspaper.

Hypothesis Three – People tend to be able to get news much quicker on social media than traditional journalism

When referring to traditional journalism, individuals have an opportunity to receive a limited range of information in a particular period. Moreover, they often need to go somewhere to buy it, which means that lots of time should be spent just to get the source of news. There is no similar problem when social media are used. Everyone has a digital device at hand today, so there are no restrictions related to the location or amount of information. A person can find everything one wants in a minute and read as much as wishes regardless of the limitations of the printed source. Moreover, if an individual wants to compare how the same event is described by different journalists, one does not need to buy numerous newspapers. Social media allow everybody to find a range of works related to a particular topic in no time. Except for that, digital devices provide an opportunity to find the keywords in the text of the article, which streamlines the process even more (Wilwayco par. 24).

Social Media

It was always critical for people to know what is happening in the whole world and their home city, in particular, as this information gives a chance to plan one’s life and deepen into various spheres. The era of the traditional journalism appeared in the 17th century but started to flourish at the end of the 20th century when it attracted people to the newspapers and magazines. Some of them are considered to be prominent even today (The New York Times, for example) and are targeted at the delivery of the confirmed news to the population. But as the communication started to use social media and became digital, this approach changed.

Journalism turned into a platform that the users refer to when they want to add some content. For new journalism, where all people have a voice, it is more important to be the first to speak up and to attract more attention to the article (Conde 3). The Internet provided an opportunity to write the news just after the event has happened so that the 24-hour cycle occurred, and the necessity to wait for the printed version for several days disappeared. Even though this information tends to be biased by the attitudes of the person who wrote it, people prefer to use social media.

The individuals shared their comments regarding particular points when social media became popular. Today they are doing the same but use some of the best practices of the traditional journalism for the news to look and be more authoritative. Even though some individuals tend to question the accuracy of the information provided in the social media, the majority of people tend to compare different online sources instead of referring to one printed. As a result, 25% of the population refers to social media when they are searching for news. Moreover, the social network audience also increases due to the creation of networks for different professionals, which also affects the preferences in news sources (Alejandro16).

Constant development and innovations in different spheres influenced the world of journalism, as they provided more sources of information that can be used by the general public. The time when the printed publication was the only thing that performed the news has already passed. Today, people from all over the world have an opportunity to watch TV, listen to the radio, etc. The recent research showed that “59.5% of the population refers to TV news, 28.8% to newspapers, 27.8% to social media, 18.8% to radio news, 9.5% to other non-printed sources and 6% to other print publications” (Bennet par. 6).

Of course, it can be seen that for now newspapers are used more often than social media, but it should be considered that the existence of these sources differs in several centuries, which proves that traditional journalism had much more time to gather its audience. The fact that social media has already almost got up to it means that the take-over is on the horizon. While social media were considered to be the platform for youth from the very beginning, many adults start to refer to them now. Except for that the frequency with which the public search for news online is much higher. Even journalists claim that they cannot imagine their work without social media (McHugh 8). Thus, since more people are using social media to get news, they are replacing traditional journalism.

The news that can be found in the traditional printed newspapers is always addicted and filtered, which tends to dissatisfy the population due to the frequent political dissidence. People realize it and tend to question everything they read. Still, the data that is presented online faces fewer filters. Social media allow speaking up and sharing ideas without such limitations. Journalists claim that they feel “less bound by journalistic rules and more willing to share their personal opinions than in traditional media outlets” (McHugh par. 6). Except for that, many of them, as well as consumers, believe that social media is more reliable than traditional sources. The public finds the ability to communicate with the authors of the articles critical, as it makes them closer to each other. They can not only find out who wrote this or that statement but also ask questions and receive the proofs of why the data is authoritative.

Many pieces of news found on social media are written by the eyewitnesses. Using their smartphones, people gather the information that is not accessible to journalists with cameras, which is one more reason why the public trusts unofficial sources (Bennet par. 9).

The access to the sources of information is also extremely important when discussing their dominance. Traditional journalism prefers printed sources, such as newspapers and magazines. To add the information to them, journalists need to spend lots of time investigating the event, writing the article and checking it. They should wait for others to complete their works and then for the newspaper to be printed and spread. Thus, the consumers have no opportunity to receive the news immediately. Everything works the other way when the news appears on social media. Such sites as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and BuzzFeed, etc. provide an opportunity to post the information in no time and do not require any complicated procedures to be managed. The journalists even mention that they publish the news and only then edit them (McHugh par. 8). Of course, it might mean that the information occurs to be less accurate, but it can be checked in a few minutes.

To support the hypotheses and prove that social media are replacing traditional journalism, the survey was conducted. The university students were interviewed regarding the issue. The participation was voluntary and anonymous. The responses were both quantitative and qualitative. They were gathered and analyzed after the interviews.

The sample included 17 university students (10 females and 7 males) 20-23 years old. The participants were informed about the topic of the research and the way it would be conducted. Those who wanted to share their opinion were asked to answer several questions so that each interview lasted for 10-15 minutes. Elaborative questions were sometimes asked to gather more accurate information.

The first section of the questions was designed to find out whether the population tends to refer to social media instead of using original printed sources of information.

It turned out that all the interviewees used social media as the source of news at least ones while 12% claim that they had never referred to the printed newspaper when they wanted to receive a piece of news. 64% prefer to use Facebook because it operates for a rather long time already and many official facilities have accounts on it. The rest of the participants refer mainly to Twitter and YouTube. 88% say that their relatives who previously used only newspapers and magazines started to search for news online. 58% report that they started to read the pieces of news more often because the amount of them, appearing on social media, increases even though they remain easily accessible. Such results prove that the networks are widely spread today and that they tend to substitute traditional journalism.

All interviewees support the opinion that the information presented by journalists cannot be taken for granted. 88% believe that it is better to refer to social media, as inaccurate articles are often entailed by the readers’ comments that underline this issue, which cannot be said about the printed sources. 76% found it advantageous that the news can be edited with time, as more decent data can be added. Only 23% claim that amateur reporters ruin a positive performance of social media. 12% say that it is better to use printed sources because their information is more trustworthy while others prefer to recheck the information gained online or just to believe what is written. So the inaccuracy of social media is not considered to be a problem, conversely, people have trust in them.

100% of participants are sure that the news can be gained much quicker when social media is used. 47% even believe this fact to be the main advantage of social media as a source of news. 71% say that traditional journalism presents the information when it is already familiar to the majority of the population so that there is no necessity to buy a newspaper. Moreover, 76% claim that social media is always at hand and the news is adding 24/7, which means that there is always an opportunity to refer to them. Thus, social media wins the race and delivers the news faster.

Today’s society tends to use social media when searching for news instead of referring to traditional journalism. According to the information gained from the literature review, social media is used much more often than printed newspapers, as it can be easily approached. Except for that, the news discussed online is perceived as trustworthy and can be checked. Finally, people prefer to receive the news immediately, which cannot be managed by printed sources. All these facts were also supported by the interview conducted with students, which proves their accuracy. As a result, it can be claimed that social media is replacing traditional journalism.

Alejandro, Jennifer. Journalism in the Age of Social Media 2010. Web.

Bennet, Shea. How Social Media Is Replacing Traditional Journalism as a News Source . 2012. Web.

Conde, Carlos. “The New Journalism and the Demise of the Old.” The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education 24.23 (2014): 3. Print.

Kohli-Khandekar, Vanita. Social Media Cannot Replace Traditional Journalism, It Complements It . 2014. Web.

McHugh, Sally. Will Social Media Be the End of Traditional Journalism? 2015. Web.

Wilwayco, Nick. Traditional Journalism and the New Media . 2014. Web.

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Bibliography

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IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON TRADITIONAL JOURNALISM

• Amama Saleem Sindh Madressatul Islam University

This study tells about the impact of social media and how it changing the shape of traditional journalism. It includes so many different previous studies’ concepts and information. Social media tools have shaken the field of journalism as well and introduced a new form of journalism. It has set some roots that how people share and receive information/news. The current study focuses on the role and impact of social media on traditional journalism. It also includes the media theories and how they related to the media theories. This report was conducted through the quantitative method for which we do a public survey to get public opinion about the topic. It also includes a background study of the subject to make it more understandable.  Audience interaction, the rise of social media, changes in journalism, and the preference of journalists for social media has investigate in this research. A result validates that social media influences people but some of them also think that it’s a threat to traditional journalism as it has no concept of monitoring and controlling data.

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Contact us About the Journal Chief Editor: Dr. Naureen Aleem ISSN(p):        2790-9700 ISSN(e):        2790-9719 Publisher:    Contemporary Science Research Publisher DOI:              10.56596/jjmsca Frequency:  Bi-annual Abstracting and Indexing

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Essay: Social media and journalism

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Social media has had a huge impact on the way that journalism is practiced and the way that the general public perceive news in the present day. This dissertation aims to identify and explore the use of the different social media platforms, focusing on the impact that the rise of social media has had on journalism practices. In addition, this paper will examine the public’s responses to the news that they receive through social media platforms. Examples of social media platforms that this dissertation will include are; ‘Twitter’, ‘Facebook’ and ‘YouTube’ as scholars claim that these are the most frequently used sites in the 21st century. This research has been conducted due to the fact that some researchers have claimed that ‘journalism is dying’ whilst others have argued that ‘journalism is not dying but is simply evolving’ (Blatchford: 2014). This has been a much contested debate triggered by the decline of news circulation from traditional news sources i.e. newspapers, television and radio together with the technological advances of the internet and social media (Cub Reporters: 2010). This has raised many questions and firstly, this dissertation will assess whether the rise of social media has led to the decline of news circulation from traditional news sources. Secondly, this paper will look at what the advantages and disadvantages of using social media as a news distributor are for professional journalists and the general public. Lastly, this study aims to investigate the future of professional journalism practices as a result of the increase of what is known as ‘citizen media’ or ‘citizen journalism’ on social media platforms. If we begin by acknowledging the famous quote by social media expert Clay Shirky stating that ‘Journalism is going to survive. I just don’t see how the businesses that have provided it will survive’ (Bo bi: 2013) the researcher is made aware that there has been speculation as to whether or not the journalism industry will subsist the recent technological advances. This ‘journalism’ that Shirky is referring to is the reporting of news, he is implying that in the present age, mainstream or traditional news providers may not be able to withstand the uprising of social media. In addition, in Skoler’s 2009 study (cited in Levy: 2010: 5) the author describes traditional news as being outdated by a new culture of ‘information sharing, connection and the collective insight of different voices passing along direct experience’ that social media has presented. This supports Shirky’s argument that traditional news services may not survive and Levy agrees that ‘traditional news depended heavily on the same specialists and professionals’ and explains that this resulted in the traditional guardians of news falling behind which subsequently led to ‘a reduced circulation and usage of standard platforms for content distribution’ (Levy: 2010:5). However, although traditional means of reporting may be ‘dying’ so to speak, since the introduction of the World Wide Web (also known as the internet) at the end of the twentieth century, engagement with news through social media and other online mediums became more dominant for both the general public and journalism practitioners. John Pavlik (2001) calls this ‘a new form of journalism’ highlighting that the internet presented much prized features such as; ‘access to universal information, speedy reporting, interactivity, multimedia content, and the ability to customize content’ that changed both Journalists and the general public’s lives forever. Furthermore, Pavlik adds that this signifies an ‘improved form of journalism’ as the internet has the ability to ‘reengage an audience that is slowly becoming increasingly mistrusting and estranged as time goes on’ (Pavlik: 2001:217). At the same time, Pavlik notes that ‘new media has presented many threats to the most treasured values and standards of journalism. Authenticity of content, source verification, truth and accuracy are all factors that have been deliberated in a medium where everyone with access to a modem and a computer can become a universal publisher’ (Pavlik: 2001). Defining social media The expression ‘social media’ or ‘social networking’ that the researcher is referring to can be accredited to Chris Shipley, the co-founder of ‘Guidewire Group’, a San Francisco based business that investigates and collects information on ‘technology trends.’ The title is used to describe tools or services that allow participation and the communication of information online. Some examples of social media include ‘Blogs, social networking sites, wikis, podcasting, video casting, virtual worlds and social bookmarking’ (Newson, Houghton and Patten: 2009: 49). Social media users are able to share, like, recommend or leave a comment on one another’s posts, henceforth forming an online community or virtual reality as of such. Nevertheless, although the original purpose of social media platforms was for social interaction they have become important sources for information and this paper will explore the threat that this poses to traditional journalism. There was a time when Journalism was acknowledged as a respected profession, however today it is regarded as a trivial occupation even by some professional journalists. One even described it as ‘a dead end business’ and another described a career as a reporter as ‘laughable’ (Debose: 2014). This is a result of how technological advances have changed the face of both print and broadcast journalism and can be connected with the rise of citizen reporting which the researcher will expand on later. Before the creation of social media news reports were only circulated by paid, qualified professionals whose jobs were to seek out news stories and present the ‘truth’ to the general public. Literature Review This literature review will explore the views of different scholars on the impact that social media has had on the journalism profession and the audiences who receive the news. 1. Impact of social media on Journalism Defining the journalist Social media has altered the way that the public understands journalism and has changed ideas of what a journalist is. According to Burns (2013) some online dictionaries have even gone as far as to expand their definition of who may claim the title of a ‘journalist.’ For example Dictionary.com, which claims to be the most trusted online dictionary, states that a journalist falls under the following two categories: a) A person who practices the occupation or profession of journalism Or b) A person who keeps a journal, diary or other record of daily events Burns argues that the distinction was traditionally made between those who wrote for themselves (the journal keepers) and those who wrote for an audience (the professionals). However, in the present day, it is difficult to apply this distinction because of the rise of the internet and social media, many individuals are able to reach global audiences on different matters without being qualified journalists. Therefore, this definition would also include bloggers and other web journals, many Facebook users and daily tweeters. Nonetheless, Andrew Keen (2007:46 cited in Burns: 2013) argues that a journalist is defined by more than simply someone who has access to an audience Keen states that ‘the simple ownership of a computer and Internet connection does not transform you into a serious journalist any more than having access to a kitchen makes one a serious cook’ (Burns:2013:20). In addition, other scholars agree that bloggers and other ‘journal keepers’ are not journalists, Lehmann (2006)as cited by Burns is particularly cynical stating that bloggers do not comply to the codes of ethics and practice set down for ‘professional journalists’ and are not associated with professional organizations (Burns: 2013: 21), therefore they should not be classified as journalists. In support of both Keen and Lehmann’s stances, Pavlik (1998:14 cited in Burns: 2013) adds that media ownership is obliged legally to act sensibly and serve in the public’s interest. This obligation ensures that journalists use their power for the good of societies and not simply for entertaining audiences and makes them more trustworthy. As self-publishers do not need to comply with this rule they are free to write what they want without being held accountable. This allows them to make errors without having to face the consequences. In the words of Andrew Keen ‘Bloggers don’t go to jail for their work, journalists do’ (Burns:2013:21). Revolutionising Journalism The rise of the internet and social media platforms has changed journalism forever. By allowing audiences to participate social media platforms have blurred the lines between those who distribute news and those who receive it. Not only are users of the web able to both produce and consume content, they are able to modify their online news experience to understand global events while maintaining a desire for quality reporting and reliable information. Burns (2013) states that ‘we have moved from an era of transmission to one of conversation.’ For example media audiences do not want to wait to receive information but ‘they want to interact with it in real-time using mobile technologies.’ Furthermore Burns argues that ‘interactive social networks are the preferred means of communication and ‘wisdom of many’ is preferred over the wisdom of the ‘expert” (Burns 2013:17). Levy refers to a ground-breaking study in 1949 stating that in the past ‘gatekeeping was the most significant indicator of the journalist’s occupational power as the responsibility of the news professional is to gather, prioritize, and then contextualise the flow of information to consumers. However as online content becomes increasingly user-generated, journalists are under pressure to re-examine this role’ (Levy: 2010:10). Today, many professional journalists share their personal opinions with audiences as freely as their ‘professional’ ones via social media platforms (Burns, 2013: 20). This has distorted the lines between professional and personal viewpoints and journalists fear that ‘by becoming too personal on social media their work may be viewed as advocacy’ and not journalism (Burns: 2013: 79). Reporters at the Wall Street journal are advised not to discuss any unpublished articles, planned or attended meetings or interviews conducted with employees or sources (Burns: 2013:78). As ‘journalists who share their personal opinions, whether on Dow Jones sites or on the larger Web, whilst also expressing biased political views are open to criticism and this could disqualify reporters from covering topics in the future for Dow Jones’ (Lasica:2009 as cited by Burns:2013:79). Burns cites Betancourt (2009) who suggests that this shows that reporters are not ‘tabula rasa’ or impartial and if online journalists are not seen to be objective or have obvious biases the public could loose respect for them or the companies they work for. In turn, this could be part of the reason why ‘newspapers are losing their readers and significance in the digital age’ (Burns: 2013:79). e…

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Democracy Dies Behind Paywalls

The case for making journalism free—at least during the 2024 election

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Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.

How many times has it happened? You’re on your computer, searching for a particular article, a hard-to-find fact, or a story you vaguely remember, and just when you seem to have discovered the exact right thing, a paywall descends. “$1 for Six Months.” “Save 40% on Year 1.” “Here’s Your Premium Digital Offer.” “Already a subscriber?” Hmm, no.

Now you’re faced with that old dilemma: to pay or not to pay. (Yes, you may face this very dilemma reading this story in The Atlantic .) And it’s not even that simple. It’s a monthly or yearly subscription—“Cancel at any time.” Is this article or story or fact important enough for you to pay?

Or do you tell yourself—as the overwhelming number of people do—that you’ll just keep searching and see if you can find it somewhere else for free?

According to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, more than 75 percent of America’s leading newspapers, magazines, and journals are behind online paywalls. And how do American news consumers react to that? Almost 80 percent of Americans steer around those paywalls and seek out a free option.

Paywalls create a two-tiered system: credible, fact-based information for people who are willing to pay for it, and murkier, less-reliable information for everyone else. Simply put, paywalls get in the way of informing the public, which is the mission of journalism. And they get in the way of the public being informed, which is the foundation  of democracy. It is a terrible time for the press to be failing at reaching people, during an election in which democracy is on the line. There’s a simple, temporary solution: Publications should suspend their paywalls for all 2024 election coverage and all information that is beneficial to voters. Democracy does not die in darkness—it dies behind paywalls.

The problem is not just that professionally produced news is behind a wall; the problem is that paywalls increase the proportion of free and easily available stories that are actually filled with misinformation and disinformation. Way back in 1995 (think America Online), the UCLA professor Eugene Volokh predicted that the rise of “cheap speech”—free internet content—would not only democratize mass media by allowing new voices, but also increase the proliferation of misinformation and conspiracy theories, which would then destabilize mass media.

Paul Barrett, the deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and one of the premier scholars on mis- and disinformation, told me he knows of no research on the relationship between paywalls and misinformation. “But it stands to reason,” he said, “that if people seeking news are blocked by the paywalls that are increasingly common on serious professional journalism websites, many of those people are going to turn to less reliable sites where they’re more likely to encounter mis- and disinformation.”

In the pre-internet days, information wasn’t free—it just felt that way. Newsstands were everywhere, and you could buy a paper for a quarter. But that paper wasn’t just for you: After you read it at the coffee shop or on the train, you left it there for the next guy. The same was true for magazines. When I was the editor of Time , the publisher estimated that the “pass-along rate” of every issue was 10 to 15—that is, each magazine we sent out was read not only by the subscriber, but by 10 to 15 other people. In 1992, daily newspapers claimed a combined circulation of some 60 million; by 2022, while the nation had grown, that figure had fallen to 21 million. People want information to be free—and instantly available on their phone.

Barrett is aware that news organizations need revenue, and that almost a third of all U.S. newspapers have stopped publishing over the previous two decades. “It’s understandable that traditional news-gathering businesses are desperate for subscription revenue,” he told me, “but they may be inadvertently boosting the fortunes of fake news operations motivated by an appetite for clicks or an ideological agenda—or a combination of the two.”

Digital-news consumers can be divided into three categories: a small, elite group that pays hundreds to thousands of dollars a year for high-end subscriptions; a slightly larger group of people with one to three news subscriptions; and the roughly 80 percent of Americans who will not or cannot pay for information. Some significant percentage of this latter category are what scholars call “passive” news consumers—people who do not seek out information, but wait for it to come to them, whether from their social feeds, from friends, or from a TV in an airport. Putting reliable information behind paywalls increases the likelihood that passive news consumers will receive bad information.

In the short history of social media, the paywall was an early hurdle to getting good information; now there are newer and more perilous problems. The Wall Street Journal instituted a “hard paywall” in 1996. The Financial Times formally launched one in 2002. Other publications experimented with them, including The New York Times , which established its subscription plan and paywall in 2011. In 2000, I was the editor of Time.com, Time magazine’s website, when these experiments were going on. The axiom then was that “must have” publications like The Wall Street Journal could get away with charging for content, while “nice to have” publications like Time could not. Journalists were told that “information wants to be free.” But the truth was simpler: People wanted free information, and we gave it to them. And they got used to it.

Of course, publications need to cover their costs, and journalists need to be paid. Traditionally, publications had three lines of revenue: subscriptions, advertising, and newsstand sales. Newsstand sales have mostly disappeared. The internet should have been a virtual newsstand, but buying individual issues or articles is almost impossible. The failure to institute a frictionless mechanism for micropayments to purchase news was one of the greatest missteps in the early days of the web. Some publications would still be smart to try it.

I’d argue that paywalls are part of the reason Americans’ trust in media is at an all-time low. Less than a third of Americans in a recent Gallup poll say they have “a fair amount” or a “a great deal” of trust that the news is fair and accurate. A large percentage of these Americans see media as being biased. Well, part of the reason they think media are biased is that most fair, accurate, and unbiased news sits behind a wall. The free stuff needn’t be fair or accurate or unbiased. Disinformationists, conspiracy theorists, and Russian and Chinese troll farms don’t employ fact-checkers and libel lawyers and copy editors.

Part of the problem with the current, free news environment is that the platform companies, which are the largest distributors of free news, have deprioritized news. Meta has long had an uncomfortable relationship with news on Facebook. In the past year, according to CNN, Meta has changed its algorithm in a way that has cost some news outlets 30 to 40 percent of their traffic (and others more). Threads, Meta’s answer to X, is “not going to do anything to encourage” news and politics on the platform, says Adam Mosseri, the executive who oversees it. “My take is, from a platforms’ perspective, any incremental engagement or revenue [news] might drive is not at all worth the scrutiny, negativity (let’s be honest), or integrity risks that come along with them.” The platform companies are not in the news business; they are in the engagement business. News is less engaging than, say, dance shorts or chocolate-chip-cookie recipes—or eye-catching conspiracy theories.

As the platforms have diminished news, they have also weakened their integrity and content-moderation teams, which enforce community standards or terms of service. No major platform permits false advertising, child pornography, hate speech, or speech that leads to violence; the integrity and moderation teams take down such content. A recent paper from Barrett’s team at the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights argues that the greatest tech-related threat in 2024 is not artificial intelligence or foreign election interference, but something more mundane: the retreat from content moderation and the hollowing-out of trust-and-safety units and election-integrity teams. The increase in bad information on the free web puts an even greater burden on fact-based news reporting.

Now AI-created clickbait is also a growing threat. Generative AI’s ability to model, scrape, and even plagiarize real news—and then tailor it to users—is extraordinary. AI clickbait mills, posing as legitimate journalistic organizations, are churning out content that rips off real news and reporting. These plagiarism mills are receiving funding because, well, they’re cheap and profitable. For now, Google’s rankings don’t appear to make a distinction between a news article written by a human being and one written by an AI chatbot. They can, and they should.

The best way to address these challenges is for newsrooms to remove or suspend their paywalls for stories related to the 2024 election. I am mindful of the irony of putting this plea behind The Atlantic ’s own paywall, but that’s exactly where the argument should be made. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably paid to support journalism that you think matters in the world. Don’t you want it to be available to others, too, especially those who would not otherwise get to see it?

Emergencies and natural disasters have long prompted papers to suspend their paywalls. When Hurricane Irene hit the New York metropolitan area in 2011, The New York Times made all storm-related coverage freely available. “We are aware of our obligations to our audience and to the public at large when there is a big story that directly impacts such a large portion of people,” a New York Times editor said at the time. In some ways, this creates a philosophical inconsistency. The paywall says, This content is valuable and you have to pay for it . Suspending the paywall in a crisis says, This content is so valuable that you don’t have to pay for it . Similarly, when the coronavirus hit, The Atlantic made its COVID coverage—and its COVID Tracking Project—freely available to all.

During the pandemic, some publications found that suspending their paywall had an effect they had not anticipated: It increased subscriptions. The Seattle Times , the paper of record in a city that was an early epicenter of coronavirus, put all of its COVID-related content outside the paywall and then saw, according to its senior vice president of marketing, Kati Erwert, “a very significant increase in digital subscriptions”—two to three times its previous daily averages. The Philadelphia Inquirer put its COVID content outside its paywall in the spring of 2020 as a public service. And then, according to the paper’s director of special projects, Evan Benn, it saw a “higher than usual number of digital subscription sign-ups.”

The Tampa Bay Times , The Denver Post , and The St. Paul Pioneer Press , in Minnesota, all experienced similar increases, as did papers operated by the Tribune Publishing Company, including the Chicago Tribune and the Hartford Courant . The new subscribers were readers who appreciated the content and the reporting and wanted to support the paper’s efforts, and to make the coverage free for others to read, too.

Good journalism isn’t cheap, but outlets can find creative ways to pay for their reporting on the election. They can enlist foundations or other sponsors to underwrite their work. They can turn to readers who are willing to subscribe, renew their subscriptions, or make added donations to subsidize important coverage during a crucial election. And they can take advantage of the broader audience that unpaywalled stories can reach, using it to generate more advertising revenue—and even more civic-minded subscribers.

The reason papers suspend their paywall in times of crisis is because they understand that the basic and primary mission of the press is to inform and educate the public. This idea goes back to the country’s Founders. The press was protected by the First Amendment so it could provide the information that voters need in a democracy. “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press,” Thomas Jefferson wrote, “and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Every journalist understands this. There is no story with a larger impact than an election in which the survival of democracy is on the ballot.

I believe it was a mistake to give away journalism for free in the 1990s. Information is not and never has been free. I devoutly believe that news organizations need to survive and figure out a revenue model that allows them to do so. But the most important mission of a news organization is to provide the public with information that allows citizens to make the best decisions in a constitutional democracy. Our government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed, and that consent is arrived at through the free flow of information—reliable, fact-based information. To that end, news organizations should put their election content in front of their paywall. The Constitution protects the press so that the press can protect constitutional democracy. Now the press must fulfill its end of the bargain.

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NPR in Turmoil After It Is Accused of Liberal Bias

An essay from an editor at the broadcaster has generated a firestorm of criticism about the network on social media, especially among conservatives.

By Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson

NPR is facing both internal tumult and a fusillade of attacks by prominent conservatives this week after a senior editor publicly claimed the broadcaster had allowed liberal bias to affect its coverage, risking its trust with audiences.

Uri Berliner, a senior business editor who has worked at NPR for 25 years, wrote in an essay published Tuesday by The Free Press, a popular Substack publication, that “people at every level of NPR have comfortably coalesced around the progressive worldview.”

Mr. Berliner, a Peabody Award-winning journalist, castigated NPR for what he said was a litany of journalistic missteps around coverage of several major news events, including the origins of Covid-19 and the war in Gaza. He also said the internal culture at NPR had placed race and identity as “paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace.”

Mr. Berliner’s essay has ignited a firestorm of criticism of NPR on social media, especially among conservatives who have long accused the network of political bias in its reporting. Former President Donald J. Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to argue that NPR’s government funding should be rescinded, an argument he has made in the past.

NPR has forcefully pushed back on Mr. Berliner’s accusations and the criticism.

“We’re proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories,” Edith Chapin, the organization’s editor in chief, said in an email to staff on Tuesday. “We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world.” Some other NPR journalists also criticized the essay publicly, including Eric Deggans, its TV critic, who faulted Mr. Berliner for not giving NPR an opportunity to comment on the piece.

In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Berliner expressed no regrets about publishing the essay, saying he loved NPR and hoped to make it better by airing criticisms that have gone unheeded by leaders for years. He called NPR a “national trust” that people rely on for fair reporting and superb storytelling.

“I decided to go out and publish it in hopes that something would change, and that we get a broader conversation going about how the news is covered,” Mr. Berliner said.

He said he had not been disciplined by managers, though he said he had received a note from his supervisor reminding him that NPR requires employees to clear speaking appearances and media requests with standards and media relations. He said he didn’t run his remarks to The New York Times by network spokespeople.

When the hosts of NPR’s biggest shows, including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered,” convened on Wednesday afternoon for a long-scheduled meet-and-greet with the network’s new chief executive, Katherine Maher , conversation soon turned to Mr. Berliner’s essay, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting. During the lunch, Ms. Chapin told the hosts that she didn’t want Mr. Berliner to become a “martyr,” the people said.

Mr. Berliner’s essay also sent critical Slack messages whizzing through some of the same employee affinity groups focused on racial and sexual identity that he cited in his essay. In one group, several staff members disputed Mr. Berliner’s points about a lack of ideological diversity and said efforts to recruit more people of color would make NPR’s journalism better.

On Wednesday, staff members from “Morning Edition” convened to discuss the fallout from Mr. Berliner’s essay. During the meeting, an NPR producer took issue with Mr. Berliner’s argument for why NPR’s listenership has fallen off, describing a variety of factors that have contributed to the change.

Mr. Berliner’s remarks prompted vehement pushback from several news executives. Tony Cavin, NPR’s managing editor of standards and practices, said in an interview that he rejected all of Mr. Berliner’s claims of unfairness, adding that his remarks would probably make it harder for NPR journalists to do their jobs.

“The next time one of our people calls up a Republican congressman or something and tries to get an answer from them, they may well say, ‘Oh, I read these stories, you guys aren’t fair, so I’m not going to talk to you,’” Mr. Cavin said.

Some journalists have defended Mr. Berliner’s essay. Jeffrey A. Dvorkin, NPR’s former ombudsman, said Mr. Berliner was “not wrong” on social media. Chuck Holmes, a former managing editor at NPR, called Mr. Berliner’s essay “brave” on Facebook.

Mr. Berliner’s criticism was the latest salvo within NPR, which is no stranger to internal division. In October, Mr. Berliner took part in a lengthy debate over whether NPR should defer to language proposed by the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association while covering the conflict in Gaza.

“We don’t need to rely on an advocacy group’s guidance,” Mr. Berliner wrote, according to a copy of the email exchange viewed by The Times. “Our job is to seek out the facts and report them.” The debate didn’t change NPR’s language guidance, which is made by editors who weren’t part of the discussion. And in a statement on Thursday, the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association said it is a professional association for journalists, not a political advocacy group.

Mr. Berliner’s public criticism has highlighted broader concerns within NPR about the public broadcaster’s mission amid continued financial struggles. Last year, NPR cut 10 percent of its staff and canceled four podcasts, including the popular “Invisibilia,” as it tried to make up for a $30 million budget shortfall. Listeners have drifted away from traditional radio to podcasts, and the advertising market has been unsteady.

In his essay, Mr. Berliner laid some of the blame at the feet of NPR’s former chief executive, John Lansing, who said he was retiring at the end of last year after four years in the role. He was replaced by Ms. Maher, who started on March 25.

During a meeting with employees in her first week, Ms. Maher was asked what she thought about decisions to give a platform to political figures like Ronna McDaniel, the former Republican Party chair whose position as a political analyst at NBC News became untenable after an on-air revolt from hosts who criticized her efforts to undermine the 2020 election.

“I think that this conversation has been one that does not have an easy answer,” Ms. Maher responded.

Benjamin Mullin reports on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact Ben securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or email at [email protected] . More about Benjamin Mullin

Katie Robertson covers the media industry for The Times. Email:  [email protected]   More about Katie Robertson