Should Reporters Investigate Online Rumors?

from the the-new-world-of-news dept

Just last week we had a story about how the job of the reporter was changing with the rise of the internet - where everyone can be a "citizen reporter." The story pointed out that traditional news sources were sticking to their old way of doing things and completely ignoring online rumors. While this makes sense from a traditional journalistic viewpoint, news consumers were clearly flocking to the rumor sites. In response, the article pointed out that reporters needed to become "the ratifiers of the news" rather than "gatekeepers of the news." It appears that others are coming to the same conclusion. The Village Voice now has a column saying that reporters need to investigate online rumors. People know they're out there, and without reporters digging into them and figuring out if they're true or not, rumors start to take on a life of their own. As the writer says: "Yes, covering rumors would empower lies. But you can't quash juicy stuff by ignoring it. And after all, the "real" media are quite capable of twisting the facts."

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