Read All About It

A few summers ago, I got to spend four full weeks in the community of Chautauqua in upstate New York. People have tried to describe it countless times and yet there are still no words to accurately portray the essence of this place.

However, in some aspects, it is like the outside world stops and you are transported back to a simpler time.

Every morning outside the common area, young boys and girls hold up newspapers and yell “Chautauqua Daily. Get your Chautauqua Daily.” Some even dress up in an old newsies outfit.

The urgency in which these children yell their catchphrase to sell papers takes you back to a time when the only way to know what was going on in the world was through the printed news.

However, life just isn’t like that anymore.

Today, news spreads within an instant.

No longer do we have to wait for the papers to arrive on our doorsteps or for the nightly news to know what is going on within your community or around the world. With the invention of the internet, people now have instantaneous access to information about what is happening all around the world.

The concept of journalism has begun to change because of our access.

The journalist has had to adapt in order to keep their readership.

For instance, take the recent movie Spotlight, which tells the story of the Boston Globe investigating a deep secret that no one wanted to pursue. For a moment they were able to stay relevant in a world that is changing at a moments notice.

We, the readers and the bloggers, effect the news now more than ever. Journalism as a whole is being redefined and the professionals are no longer strictly in charge.

In 2015, another movie, Truth, debuted showing the story behind one of the biggest news scandals involving the team at 60 minutes. Fighting the fast moving news cycle, the producer pushed a source that might not have been verified. Bloggers and individuals spoke out against the information. Thus, a battle occurred in which no one is left untouched, even acclaimed journalist, Dan Rather.

This new way of presenting news where we can read all about it all the time has created a sticky situation in filtering information.

Is all that we are reading really true?

Who defines news?

In a world where anyone can share their opinion, we must hope that we can all be one another’s filters pushing each other to be accurate and truthful to the best our abilities.