What is the purpose of journalism?

It seems that the obvious goal of the news is to inform the public. 

In defining the purpose of journalism, The American Press Institute, suggests that “though [the news] may be interesting or even entertaining, . . . [it’s] foremost value . . . is as a utility to empower the informed.” 

“The purpose of journalism,” they claim, “is thus to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments.”

But the reality is that news sources are also competing for consumer attention, constantly attempting to walk the fine line between news as commodity and news as a public service.  In the face of the increasing commercialization of our news sources, what has the purpose of journalism become?

How did it all begin?

This inherent tension in the field of journalism is not a new phenomenon.

 According to Gerald  J. Baldasty, associate professor of communications at the University of Washington, as early at the 19th century, news had become “a commodity valued more for its profitability than for its role in informing or persuading the public on political issues.”

While the first newspapers in the United States were largely extensions of the major political parties, in The Commercialization of News in the Nineteenth Century, Baldasty explains that, over time,  “advertisers replaced political parties as the chief financial support of the press . . . [and] influenced newspapers in directing their content toward consumers.”

The result were newspapers that ran stories on current events alongside articles featuring popular home recipes, sports updates, and announcements about upcoming contests and events. 

Where are we now?

These early penny papers are not a far cry from contemporary news sources, in which we find news articles side-by-side with high-fashion editorials, wedding announcements, and movie reviews.

However, this inherent tension between news as a commodity and news as a public service has been exacerbated by dramatic shifts in our media landscape.

For most Americans, newspapers are no longer the primary source of information for current events.

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 86% of U.S. adults access their news online from a digital device, while only 10% of Americans get their news regularly from print publications. 

Unlike the finite amount of information within a print newspaper, internet-based news sources, whether an app, a website, or social media, are seemingly limitless.

In 2013 in the Atlantic, Alexis C. Madrigal compared this new media landscape to “a never-ending store, where everything is free [and] no matter how hard you sprint for the horizon, it keeps receding. There is always something more.”

The problem, according to Hugh Martin, coordinator of the Masters of Journalism Innovation program at La Trobe University, is that “we’re drowning in content.”  There is so much content available that news publications must shout louder and louder to be heard above the noise. “No publishing business can afford to ignore the realities of commercial content,” Martin argues, “[and] the blurry line between advertising and editorial has never been more blurry.”

Living in an engagement-based news environment means that, in order to survive, news organizations and social media platforms must constantly compete for consumer attention. 

Why does it matter?

Some might argue that this competition is healthy. Aren’t news organizations being pushed to create better and more user-friendly content that appeals across a wide range of demographics in order to better engage more consumers?

Theoretically. 

But what if the content that is the most engaging is not the content that is the most informative?

A study published by Oxford University found that “‘junk news’ – or content from less reputable sources – gets shared 4x more than content from reputable, trusted news outlets.”

 In a commercialized engagement-based news market, “more sharing means more engagement, and subsequently, more ad dollars,” explains social media marketing analyst Andrew Hutchinson.

Promoting engagement, no matter the quality of the content, is incentivized, and with the pressure to produce content more and more quickly, there is less guarantee that the content consumers are reading meets journalistic standards.

“[M]ost of what’s out there is crap,” Alexis Madrigal says bluntly, and “[w]hen the half-life of a post is half a day or less, how much time can media makers put into something? 

He goes on to say that if the typical reader only spends an average of two minutes on a story anyway, how much time should media makers put into their content? What’s the point?

What’s next?

So what is the path forward in journalism?

According to Todd Gitlin, professor of sociology and journalism in the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, “Everybody wants to be entertained by the news,” he writes. “Most people want no-problem news, goes-down-easy news.”

But a study done by the Center for Media Engagement, and supported by the American Press Institute, found otherwise. After asking readers to share their questions about the news, the study revealed that, counter to Gitlin’s claim, readers are looking for more than entertainment. 

Researchers Tamar Wilner, Gina Masullo, and Dominique Montiel Valle found that readers want their newsrooms to do better in four key categories:

1. Dig deeper into stories.
2. Explain terminology.
3. Clarify why certain voices were included in stories and others were left out.
4. Avoid what readers perceived as journalists’ biased depiction of sources.

While we must continue to question the profit-based motivations of our news platforms, it is important not to forget our role, and our power, as consumers. 

In an engagement-based information system, we can impact the media landscape by shifting our own patterns of engagement. 

Think about how you engage with the news, and consider taking some of the following action steps:

• If you can afford to, subscribe to news sources that promote fact-based in-depth journalism. 
• Donate to public broadcasting.
• Read articles thoroughly. 
• Look up ideas or concepts you don’t understand.
• Share stories that provide context and offer balanced perspectives. 
• Use comments to ask questions and add nuance to conversations.  
• Only share and promote articles that reflect the kind of media environment you want to see. 

As consumers, we have the power to promote the kind of media environment we want to see, one that speaks to the highest calling of journalism – “to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments.” But wielding that power will require action.