According to a survey by the Léger firm published last March, journalists have some reasons to be worried about their future. Barely 37% of Quebecers aged 18 to 34 follow the news on a daily basis, compared to 59% among those aged 35 to 54, and 84% among those aged 55 and over.
The reasons to explain these gaps, and especially this drop among the youngest, are multiple and do not only concern members of the journalistic community. Teachers, politicians, intellectuals, all brandish their diagnosis (low information skills) or their scapegoats (dependence on screens and attention deficit) to explain this desertion, or this indifference, in front of the news media. Certainly, surveys in recent years teach us that in return, younger people mainly obtain information through social networks, but these tools come with challenges relating to disinformation, cynicism and suspicion.
From information fatigue to world negation
How did we get there ? The erosion of trust in the news media in democratic societies was not caused by conspiracy theories linked to the COVID-19 pandemic nor by the thunderous arrival of Donald Trump in politics in the mid-2010s .
This discourse of distrust has gradually taken hold over the decades. And if it is healthy to question editorial choices, to regret the surge of opinion in the media or to criticize the media treatment of certain social crises, it is much less healthy to disengage from the news , to give in to information fatigue.
In fact, many have abandoned TV news, have ended their subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, do not have a media application on their phone and prefer more entertaining content from their favorite platform. As this content is, in addition, chosen by opaque algorithms based on users’ preferences and beliefs, it becomes even easier to stay away from the chaos of the world as reported by journalists.
And young people in all this ?
Since 2018, several enthusiastic journalists have met young people in schools, eager to explain to them the workings of the profession and to deconstruct the pernicious mechanics of fake news. The #30secondsbeforeyoubelieveprogram, under the supervision of the Quebec Center for Media and Information Education (CQEMI), has met more than 50,000 participants since its creation. Some of them do not hesitate to formulate harsh criticisms of the media, others contest the very relevance of being informed, while several listen attentively to the potential for change that reliable and verified information brings.
These workshops are an excellent opportunity to discuss the importance of journalistic information as a driver of citizen participation. To fight for social change, we must understand the issues. To fight climate change, we must understand its causes. To constructively challenge the mayor of your village or the deputy of your constituency, you must understand the political workings that shape our daily lives.
Can we establish a direct correlation between the act of obtaining information and the actions it can generate? Seeing these young people mobilized for the environment or against wars, we cannot help but believe that part of their indignation is inspired by the observation, verification and analysis work of journalists. And it’s already been a while since they diversified their approaches to young people, as proven by the initiatives launched by The Aces of Infothe Science-Presse Agency, as well as the magazines The Curious Or Curium. And anyone following the activities of the Press and Media Weeks, organized by the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec, which are taking place at the moment, can draw encouraging conclusions.
The journalistic environment is used to existential crises and other questions. At a time when Meta continues to block Canadian news on its platforms, and part of the public openly displays its distrust of the facts, the current crisis is decisive for its future. But it is even more so for those who must make informed decisions, for themselves, for the future of the world, regardless of their age. Let us all be mobilized, but also well informed.
The CQEMI will organize a round table entitled “The impact of media and information education on the civic mobilization of young people”, on Thursday, May 23 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the At WorkBase space.