The evolution of technology affects the news industry in seemingly limitless ways, but perhaps one of the most significant changes is how stories are being written – and why.
The ability to track and evaluate page views allows news sources to have a solid understanding of what attracts readers’ eyes and attention. But according to Washington Post staff writer Joel Achenbach, this is also a recipe for journalists to get caught up in popularity numbers and sacrifice the information readers really need to know. Particularly at a time when opinionated blogs and unverified tweets litter the media landscape (how many false celebrity deaths were reported last year?), ethical news reporting is more necessary than ever.
The pages that draw the most views are not necessarily the best. They may not even be accurate.
Dedication to solid reporting and good writing continues to set journalists apart from the sea of internet opinions. Writers must remember this when their balanced analysis of Obama’s health care bill seems to fall on deaf ears compared to the hits on a scathing article about Kim Kardashian’s divorce.
There is certainly an audience and a need for entertainment, and there is also an audience and a need for hard news. Sometimes the stories overlap. Sometimes, they do not.
Journalists have an obligation to listen to their readers and provide information on the stories that are hot topics, including pop culture and fads or trends. Page view data can certainly assist with this. But as journalists, they are also obligated to research and inform readers about less-popular topics.
And – of course – to do so factually with the appropriate punctuation.
At the end of the day, page views aside, it is easy to tell the difference between a TMZ article and one written for the Washington Post.
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