Journalism and Truth in an Age of Social Media
James E. Katz and Kate K. Mays
Abstract
This edited volume examines how the growth of social media and ancillary computer systems is affecting the relationship between journalism and the pursuit of truth. Experts explore how news is perceived and identified, presented to the public, and how the public responds to news. They consider social media’s effect on the craft of journalism as well as the growing role of algorithms, big data, and automatic content production regimes. The volume’s aim is to confront these issues in a way that will be of enduring relevance; the discussions about contemporary journalism inform current students a ... More
This edited volume examines how the growth of social media and ancillary computer systems is affecting the relationship between journalism and the pursuit of truth. Experts explore how news is perceived and identified, presented to the public, and how the public responds to news. They consider social media’s effect on the craft of journalism as well as the growing role of algorithms, big data, and automatic content production regimes. The volume’s aim is to confront these issues in a way that will be of enduring relevance; the discussions about contemporary journalism inform current students and help scholars in the future. Chapters reflect on questions such as what is different and what remains the same in journalism’s pursuit of truth now that social media has become such a prominent force in news gathering, dissemination, and reinterpretation? How has reader participation and responses changed? What are the implications for journalistic information gathering and truth claims? What is different now about the social roles of journalists and media institutions? How does interaction between journalists and social media affect democratic practices? The chapters offer a mix of empirical and critical work that reflects on journalism’s past, present, and future roles in our lives and in society. An interdisciplinary work, this volume brings together leading scholars in the fields of journalism and communication studies, philosophy, and the social sciences to explore how we should understand journalism’s changing landscape as it relates to fundamental questions about the role of truth and information in society.
Keywords:
journalism,
truth,
fact-checking,
verification,
social media,
big data,
digital media,
interdisciplinary scholarship
Bibliographic Information
Print publication date: 2019 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190900250 |
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: August 2019 |
DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190900250.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
James E. Katz, editor
Feld Professor of Emerging Media, College of Communication, Boston University
Kate K. Mays, editor
Research Assistant, College of Communication, Boston University
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