An interesting article that touches on allot of the issues in chapters 2 and 3 of our Elements text. It concerns the algorithmic editorial process now employed by Yahoo News to steer what kind of articles their newsroom writes up. As it's based on what topics people are searching for, the result will be news that is demand and interest oriented rather than news that serves important and necessary social purposes. Reading the article I get no sense at all that these folks are aware of any motivation for news besides profit, which illustrates exactly the dangers involved when shareholder driven companies are controlling the news.
“Essentially those in charge of analytics-driven content say, ‘These journalists, they only got it half right. Why produce all this stuff that doesn’t make money. Just produce the stuff that sells,’ ” Mr. Doctor said.
Lovely.
Definitely disturbing...
ReplyDeleteHave to admit, when I pick up a physical paper I'll bump into articles/sections I never would have read otherwise and it broadens my mind...
ReplyDeleteI think if Yahoo has it's way the world will be (mentally anyway) a much smaller place...!
This also brings us back to the frightening idea that people can be journalists without credentials -- if not to filter through news and surface what is most important, interesting, relevant, and correct, what is a journalist's purpose? I worry that by catering to the masses in this way, Yahoo! and others risk not only making the world smaller (as you correctly point out, Angie!), but taking too much power and credibility away from journalists who have the skills and the experience to present us with crucial news.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me wonder about journalists not being certified the way that doctors and lawyers are, as is mentioned in the Elements text...while I realize it presents a crucial conflict with the concept of freedom of the press and freedom of speech, this type of story makes you wonder if such licensing has a place!