RESPONSE
What are two key challenges you take from Shirky’s discussion of this issue in his section on “Mass Amateurization”?
The two true challenges I take away from his discussions are that the news we are receiving today isn’t one that could be real. The news we are getting is all looked into by the news,then they change the story to make it “more catchy”. Shirky goes on to say “the news was meant for two things – newsworthy events, and events covered by the press” (65). This makes it challenging because we, the people, don’t know which news we are getting, and how legitimate it is.
Another challenge to me is him saying that anyone could be a publisher. I don’t fully believe that. I don’t believe that they could take , my 5 year old niece – lets say, sit her down in front of a computer and say type and call her a publishable worthy person. She isn’t going to know what to write and for how long. Someone with a little more “training” in the field of writing , sure, they can be a publisher. What i am trying to say is that Most people can be a publisher. This makes it a challenge to me because i don’t know if we are distinguishing the differences between someone who Publishes a Facebook post on their feed, or someone who publishes a book. Things like these make me say that not Everyone can be a publisher, because we don’t know their context being published.
In what ways might your blogging look somewhat like journalism? How is it different?
My Blogging might look like journalism because i am taking in information, my own thought, processing it into a better way, changing what happened [like the press does], and then publishing my final product. It is similar because not every detail of what really happened will be present in the post.This makes it difficult to understand as a blog, and makes it more like a journal.
DISCUSSION
Reading Shirky’s excerpt on this section was difficult for me to really figure out because like you mentioned in your response how can anyone really be a journalist by publishing something. Also I liked how you brought in the connection of how Facebook involves the act of publishing a post but it wouldn’t necessarily be considered a form of journalism. And like Shirky said there is no simple answer to who is and who isn’t considered a journalist. Also your addition of the type of content someone is publishing adds another element to answering this difficult question. Do you have any suggestions on how someone could attempt to differentiate when someone is considered a “journalist” or like what content would you see and say “okay I would say that persons a journalist”.
I agree. As Shirky mentions before, the Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘journalist’, as “a person who writes for newspapers or magazines and prepares news to be broadcast on radio or television”, and that definition itself is strange. Journalism should be about getting to the truth, and letting public know of said truths. As you’ve said, “The news we are getting is all looked into by the news,then they change the story to make it ‘more catchy’.” Sometimes journalists will prioritize getting views rather than speaking the truth.
How would you suggest we confront this challenge, determining what is news made to seem “more catchy” vs the legitimate truth?
OTHER/REPLY
Hi, Thank you both for asking some wonderful questions! I thought it would be easier to answer you both in one response rather than sending off two. Since Caitlyn asked first her question will be first and then Charlotte yours will follow after!
Do you have any suggestions on how someone could attempt to differentiate when someone is considered a “journalist” or like what content would you see and say “okay I would say that persons a journalist”?
My first thought to respond to this question is if they are from a journalistic background, and they would have credentials to show that they are from such place. If they are a start up company I would suggest them to try and bring a “Business” card of type with them. In regards to Content settings, If I was scrolling on the web and I saw that someone was continually posting credible things then I would call them a journalist. And I don’t mean credible as in “Jennifer Aniston Shares Hilarious Text Jimmy Kimmel Sent His Wife Amid Plane’s Emergency Landing” I mean someone who had their facts checked and that is credible in their sources and is doing their job. I also understand that we live in a world where millennials are going around and traveling the world and creating a day to day journal. They too are sharing their stories on Instagram, Twitter, so name it. I do not consider these people Journalist. I would consider them Attention seekers/ My life is better than yours people.
How would you suggest we confront this challenge, determining what is news made to seem “more catchy” vs the legitimate truth?
There is no way for me to confront it. I guess I could go down to the un-credible news station and demand them to change, but then they’d laugh in my face and turn me away. I could talk to the editorial staff and tell them to change and get the same answer. This type of falsifying what is really happening has been happening for years. There are so many news stations out there saying all different things that it is hard to know what is actually true. Unless I was there, Seeing Jennifer Aniston’s Hilarious tweet and sharing coffee with her, then how do I know what actually happened. It comes down to the real question, is anything we know the truth. Aside from all of this, I might suggest if I wasn’t the only one seeing this issue in our news stations a Rally of defense in the information that the people are getting. More people’s voices is better than one small one in the crowd.
