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What happened to the news?

The news media industry has gone through a lot of changes in the past 10 to 20 years that have impacted the way news is both produced and consumed. Four notable changes:

First of all, the way people get news has changed where online is up. Pew Research Center reports an overwhelming majority (82%) of Americans regularly get their news on social media, often from a smartphone, computer or tablet. Facebook outpaces all other social media sites with 31% of US adults getting their news from FB.

Facebook 31%
YouTube 25%
Twitter 14%
Instagram 13%
TikTok 10%
Reddit 8%
LinkedIn 4%
Snapchat 4%
Nextdoor 4%

Secondly, digital revenue now powers news organizations. After years of shrinking ad sales, much of the print and online news media now depend more upon subscribers than on advertisers.

Thirdly, political identity places loyalty and trust in very different sources. Americans simply don’t trust each other the way they used to, and many don’t demand the objective truth, instead preferring news organizations that support their beliefs and confirm their biases.

Finally, the development of fake news. While distorted news material isn’t a new thing — It’s been around since the printing press and it’s what sells tabloids, the unholy marriage between social media algorithms, advertising and people willing to make stuff up to earn easy cash make it difficult to find the truth. Instead, clickbait headlines entice audiences by trying to shock or amaze.

At a time when being informed is more important than ever, it is critical to figure out how to help people find their way to the truth and not make it a hard job.

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