How to fix the news?

Is the news broken? I’ve found myself asking this question frequently since Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, declared that it is.

Virtually anyone in the world can share a compelling story and reach thousands of people instantly. In our post-truth society, any story can become a trending topic, but just because people are talking about it and sharing it online, doesn’t implicitly make it factual or correct. We are surrounded by fake news.

You no longer need to be a media company to distribute information or share engaging content that has an impact on people’s lives, but media companies have the distinct ability to bring life to a story simply by amplifying it, which, for many, definitively confirms the “truth”. For this reason, every media outlet has a responsibility to provide a full picture to their followers; to ensure they have covered every angle or viewpoint, and the news they are reporting is indeed correct.

Last November, the BBC was left red-faced after incorrectly using a parody account on twitter as a reporting source. Despite Twitter terms and conditions stating that parody accounts should label themselves as such, many aren’t. Mistakes happen - this wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last - but every time they do, they damage the credibility of the media industry; they break the news a little bit.

The 2017 Digital Report, from the Reuters Institute, revealed that only 38% of Americans trust the media. For decades, we’ve been choosing which political paper to read and we’ve been surrounding ourselves with people who share the same opinion as us, but we now also see this polarisation online, particularly on social media. Content-recommendation algorithms cater to our individual habits and beliefs, which serves to polarise and segregate us more. Media outlets which do not share our beliefs are dismissed on the grounds of mistrust.

The responsibility to offer unbiased truths should extend beyond traditional corporate responsibility for media companies. Responsible media is about content owners and distributors engaging with communities and providing content that is relevant, appropriate and balanced. At the same time, it’s our own responsibility, as individuals, to make use of all sources available to make sense of different viewpoints.

I believe that the days of one-way communication are behind us. Today is all about creating a collaborative environment with a sense of community and belonging. It’s about sharing live events unfolding in real-time, and empowering our audiences by encouraging self-expression, no matter what their beliefs.

With all of this in mind, last December, we launched the documentary "That's Entertainment! Digital transformation, trust and influence in the new media landscape". We've talked to experts in social media, politics, media trends and corporate responsibility from around the world to explore how digital technology and connectivity influences our behaviour online and what the future of media and entertainment looks like.

If you haven't had the opportunity yet, please take a look (over 10K views already!) and join the discussion either here or on Twitter.

The news isn’t completely broken. Yet.