Is it fake news or is it just news you dont agree with? columnist – Campbell River Mirror

Ive been contemplating for a long time the disconnect between news outlets and their audiences/readers.

You know, this is the whole Fake News thing and mistrust of the media.

Ive taken a stab at explaining how this paper, particularly, approaches news reporting versus the publics understanding usually misunderstanding of the purpose and meaning of what they read.

Its not been easy to write about this topic, despite my deep concern about it. People are reading things and it is eliciting a reaction different from what was intended. People are reading a news report and getting riled up because they think the news outlet is trying to tell them something they dont think is true.

The media reports that the provincial government wants everyone to have a card proving they have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Some many? most? members of the public perceive that as the media outlet says you should have a card proving youve received a COVID-19 vaccine. But its not the media telling you that, theyre telling you what the province has mandated. But everyone perceives it as the media outlet and the reporter telling you what they want to happen. Its the old shoot the messenger syndrome.

I think the essence of the problem is that people expect and/or believe that news reporting is advocating something. Or should be. But thats not the case. In its purest form, news is just news reporting something that happened or is happening.

But people expect a story to be doing something and, consequently, they think that every story is actively pushing for a certain outcome or point of view. As opposed to just telling you that someone is saying something, doing something or advocating something.

Thats the nub of the problem. When you read a news story it will say Premier John Horgan says, Blah, blah, blah. (not an actual quote). What were telling you is what John Horgan (or anybody else) said.

But people perceive it as reporter Alistair Taylor says, Blah, blah blah. You need to read it more closely. Again, its not Reporter X saying something, shes just quoting the subject who made that statement.

There is such a thing as advocacy journalism but thats not what most reporters are producing plus advocacy journalism is biased, its advocating for a certain outcome or belief. In mainstream media, advocacy journalism falls under the umbrella of opinion and is usually dressed up as a column, an opinion piece that is the view of the writer. What youre reading here is a column, an opinion piece and its labelled as such.

Now and this is the exception that many people believe proves the rule there are instances of journalists deliberately pushing an agenda or deliberately or mistakenly but those are clawed back as soon as its pointed out.

So, when a reporter writes that the Living Oceans Society wants fish farms out of the Broughton Archipelago, many people read that as the Campbell River Mirror wants fish farms out of the Broughton Archipelago. This is a crucial misunderstanding of journalistic process and the source of a lot of misunderstanding and strife.

We are the medium (get it, media?) through which the news reaches you. We didnt say a northbound pick up truck swerved out of its lane, crossed the median and collided with a southbound semi truck. The police did. We tell you what the police tell us.

Its hard for this to not sound patronizing but the level of misunderstanding is alarming and, sadly to us in the media, baffling. I heard the phrase many years ago People read what they want to read and Im sad to say its often true.

Another aspect of this is that if what we write doesnt say what you want it to say, then its biased, incorrect and, God forbid, fake. Sorry people, but youre going to read things that you dont agree with. That doesnt make them wrong.

In the end, were just presenting to you information whether it be a quote or from some other source (document, file, eyewitnesses) that weve collected to support the point of the story youre reading.

If its the writers opinion, well tell you. Otherwise, look at the source and understand that its the sources actions, opinions or wishes that are being presented to you. In the best case, scenario, well present the other side of the argument but thats not always possible in the same piece (but it often is) but at some point, the other side or sides of the argument will get put on the public agenda. And well report that.

Im such a cynic, of course, that even having explained this now, I dont believe it will change anybodys mind or lead anybody to any greater understanding of the mechanics of news reporting but I feel I have to try.

journalism

See more here:

Is it fake news or is it just news you dont agree with? columnist - Campbell River Mirror