test End of Mainstream Media Debate - Munk Debates

End of Mainstream Media Debate

April 22, 2021
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End of Mainstream Media Debate

Be it resolved, the mainstream media is dying and that is OK.

Traditional broadcasters, daily newspapers, and monthly magazines are struggling to stay afloat as more people turn to non-traditional sources for their news. The likes of Medium, Substack, Twitter, and a seemingly endless series of small independent websites, are building new audiences by offering up news and information tailored to their users’ specific interests and tastes. Some journalists are all too happy to write the mainstream media’s obituary, arguing that institutions like CNN and The New York Times have been taken over by activist journalists and can no longer be relied upon to provide unbiased reporting. Others believe that mainstream organizations provide an invaluable public service that new digital news are either incapable or uninterested in providing: careful fact-based reporting on important issues and holding the powerful to account. In a brave new world of “fake news” and “drive by” journalism, traditional news organizations are essential to our democracy and bulwark against corruption and tyranny.

 

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