In a study conducted jointly with Léger, Grenier aux nouvelles surveyed communications professionals to find out their opinions on various issues in their industry.
In order to take the pulse and paint a fair picture of it, we addressed several questions, in particular to know the state of their mental health, their job satisfaction as well as the evolution of their role in their company.
To the question “When you think about the next 10 years, are you rather optimistic or pessimistic about your trust in the media? », No less than 65% of respondents said they were rather pessimistic. This is surprising data coming from communications professionals. They therefore believe that citizens’ trust in the media will continue to erode over the years.
According to these same respondents, disinformation and fake news circulating on social media are at the heart of this problem and accentuate the lack of trust in the media.
The pandemic has unequivocally exacerbated the situation. You had to live under a rock not to have read on social networks, if only once, a disinformation article dealing, for example, with a miracle drug against COVID-19, or more generally. , false information coming from an “elite doctor” from France.
In our opinion, it is imperative that social networks, and more particularly Facebook, review their algorithms, because it is heartbreaking to note that credible sources of information are put on the same footing as obscure blogs or pseudo-sites of alternative information. With current technology, any person or group can easily put online a news site that may at first appear completely credible, but which distorts reality by conveying misleading, incorrect or even defamatory comments. In this sense, we are of the opinion that better education of the population in general, but more particularly of young people, must be a priority.
Relevant initiatives have already emerged, in particular with the Press and Media Week, created by the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec (FPJQ), which aims to promote understanding of the profession of journalist and to discover the role of journalists. media in society. However, although necessary, this initiative of the FPJQ lasts only a short week in the year.
Who would have the legitimacy to educate the population on the issues of disinformation without rushing these illustrious “graduates of life”, who assimilate what they read without double-checking the facts? How about social media itself? We launch the idea and we open the lines thereafter. Why would a warning not appear when an Internet user clicks on a link leading to a site where it has been recognized that false information has been disseminated there in the past? As Twitter already does in an electoral context.
Same thing on the YouTube side: why not post a warning before posting a questionable video? “Be aware that this channel has already broadcast a video containing false information. We prefer to let you know. ”
Yes or no, should we warn the population that they are about to watch a video potentially riddled with fake news, as the other would say? We open the lines, yes hello Karen, we listen to you.
The fine line journalists-columnists
Another issue that we believe affects citizens’ trust in the media is the upsurge in opinions in mainstream media. Today, journalists who have become columnists (or are they both?) Are spreading their opinions on topical issues. Is it possible to have an opinion on everything? Maybe, but not all opinions are created equal in our opinion.
That is to say, you have to know a subject well before giving a relevant opinion. You have to have read, listened to and weighed the pros and cons. With the speed of information provided by social media, we find it impossible for columnists to have an informed opinion on all current affairs.
Moreover, most citizens do not know the difference between “journalist” and “columnist”. And you know what ? It is a bit normal if we do not bathe in this area.
The columnists express almost every day their opinion on the platform which is offered to them and thus represent their respective media, becoming in a way the face of their employer. There is only one step to be taken by the population to amalgamate the opinion of a columnist with the full media, including journalists. Without thinking that in Quebec, the population usually hates debate and shades of gray: as they say, it’s white or it’s black. While the opinion of the chroniclers is only worth… the opinion of the chroniclers.
But let’s not play our ostrich. Representing ourselves a medium (specialized, even niche, but all the same), we are aware that these two “issues” are intimately linked. It all started with the drop in traditional media revenues for the benefit of GAFAM (“it’s our generation”, as Nicola Ciccone sings), which has had the effect of increasing interest in columnists, spawning articles with all headlines. more clickbait as each other. But where is the solution? The question is asked: should the traditional media have fewer columnists and more journalists? Yes hello Derek, we are listening to you.
What do you think? Express your opinion