If there is one lesson from the first ten days of the Donald Trump presidency it is that now is the time we need strong and professional journalists.
Trump and too many leaders around the world appear to have little regard for the truth if it challenges their narrative. When Trump is confronted with news reports that disagree with him, he labels them fake news. When he is confronted with the acting attorney general questioning the legality of an executive order, he sacks them.
Journalists and news outlets need revenue to survive. The old advertising supported model does not work today where news consumption is faster than ever before.
Whereas in the print era people spent more time consuming news, today we do this mainly on our phones and other portable devices. We give little time to advertising. This is one reason ad rates are less for digital platforms than they used to be for print.
For years, I have tapped into news on my phone and iPad without paying for it. Easy access to good journalism has meant I’ve not worried too much about the funding model that makes good journalism accessible.
That changed for me with the inauguration of Donald Trump and his obsession with crowd size. News outlets reported what they filmed and photographed. Trump attacked some reports with how now often used phrase, fake news. Of course, it was not fake news. The images were factual.
While politicians have criticised the media and journalists in the past, it feels like we are now in a time where it is more than criticism. It feels like there is a genuine threat to accessible independent journalism.
Whether I am right or not about the era we are in, I am at a point where I want to pay to support good journalism. I want to do this more than buying the odd newspaper. It is like helping to fund people who do good work you believe in.
My plan is to subscribe to at least one Australian news outlet, one overseas and a third, most likely an independent fact checking service. Here is what I want from the organisations I support:
- Fact based fearless reporting. Truth, independence, impartiality and humanity.
- Publishing of news and not regurgitation of press releases from businesses and politicians.
- No bias or agenda setting like we see from the News Corp platforms in Australia. Sure, run campaigns – but they must be fact based and not representative of the ideology of elders of the publishing business.
- No click bait headlines leading to junk stories.
- Clear separation of commentary from news.
- I want news, not content I am likely to like. I don;t want a site to learn my interest and only play to them.
I don’t see any subscription decision as permanent.
Having looked at what is out there, the biggest challenge is Australian news outlets. It really comes down to The Guardian and a Fairfax platform – The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. The Guardian is light on for Australian content and the Fairfax titles online carry a bit of junk. But I have to start somewhere. The final decision will include considering their respective tech platforms on mobile devices.
Overseas, I am leaning to The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal.
Outside of the pay services, I am an avid user of Twitter for staying up to date. I review those I follow every month or so, adjusting to keep by feed fresh and challenging.
For the third organisation I am looking at several in the fact checking space. This will take some time as it depends on the future of the ABC fact check unit.
A strong independent media is vital to democracy. In too many countries right now the facts are being hidden or held back on matters that are important. The truth is not always pleasant, but it is the truth and we need to be told. This is the role of journalists.
Some will say I should have been contributing to journalism before now. To that I say fair enough – however, at least I am there now and ready to contribute.
You say that you want unbiased reporting yet you are considering biased titles. The Guardian, Fairfax and the ABC are all biased to the left, just as NewsCorp is biased to the right.
The bias is even more obvious when you watch Fox News which is clearly pro-Republican and then CNN which is clearly pro-Democrat.
Mark the titles you mentioned would be the best available I think. I yearn for something better though.
Dean, thats always been the case, we tend to read according to our own political leaning.
Politicians and media moguls systematically destroyed journalism about 30 years ago. Politicians for obvious reasons and medial moguls to get favourable treatment and cut costs to the bone. True journalist have gone the way of the Dodo. It was the beginning of their own self destruction (which we are now witnessing) We are force fed cheap reality crap on TV and weak biased and fake news in papers. I get my news from non mainstream media, it still may be biased but you can work that out for your self.
I understand you posting re how and when you digest news in relation to the nature of this blog – but why the politics? You can’t be that naive to believe that the ABC or Fairfax is not just as biased as you believe News Ltd publications to be?
Maybe we should all take a leaf out of Mark Zuckerberg’s page – use the next 12 month’s to read a publication that we normally wouldn’t every day with an open mind and maybe we can get some insight into how the other half think?
The ABC is my go-to for online news most of the time. It may be biased but unlike the commercial players its not beholden to any commercial masters or vested interests.
The ABC is also (through shows like 4 Corners) one of the last bastions of genuine investigative journalism in this country. They can do stories that need to be told without having to worry about ratings, advertisers, sponsors etc.
Daniel the ABC and Fairfax are not biased in its news coverage.
Bruce G, I agree, I, too, yearn for something better.
I don’t need to read or watch news as I have my own crack team of personal news correspondents. Some of them are on the left, some on the right. They gather every morning outside my shop about 10 minutes before I open the doors, no doubt discussing the issues of yesterday. Once my doors are open they diligently file in one by one and pick up various copies of today’s newspapers and then proceed to the counter and patiently wait in line while each one gives me their opinion of today’s news. They don’t just limit their opinion to politics, no, these people are experts on all topics, social, sport, current affairs and even the weather. But the best part of this team of experts is that they even pay me to offer their opinions. I won’t get rich off of their payments but it does provide me with a steady income stream for the first ten minutes of trade. On very rare occasions they will actually purchase other items other than newspapers……but it is a very rare occurrence.
Bias is not just how something is reported but also by what media outlets decide not to report. All are biased as nearly all news reports now have some amount of commentary/opinion in most of their articles. Fairfax are just as guilty as News. Look at the Joe Hockey litigation case.
What if someone decided to only published politics with no political bias and nobody read it? I’m actually pretty sure nobody would read it.
If your reading about politics your interested in politics and if your interested you definitely have an opinion, show my an agnostic political junkie and I’ll show you a liar.
All media has a target audience and frames it’s reporting to reflect the biases of that audience otherwise they lose that audience. All media is biased, if you think a particular media outlet isn’t bias then I’ll wager you agree with what they are saying, so they are bias but their bias happens to be the same as yours. Thats why we read them because they reinforce our own world view.
Of cause we sometimes enjoy reading media we don’t agree with but that’s purely so we can shake our heads at how wrong (and biased) they are.
News Corp papers are conservative but their websites lean towards the left which is strange and probably reflect the different people who manage each medium.
Anyone denying Fairfax is biased to the left hasn’t read Michael Pascoe articles or seen their coverage of the Trump victory. Love or hate him they’ve been over the top.
Ted there is a difference between comment and news. My post and subsequent comments are about news only.
The balance between comment and news has changed incredibly to the point comment feels dominant. To deny this would be dishonest.
Not sure about your last sentence Ted. I have not denied it.
I don’t believe I stated that you had.
I don’t see why you would say it at all then.
Love it Allan! We all get to experience this every day. My joy at the moment is the weather – every customer before 7am (approx 200 customers) has been giving me their bedroom temp from overnight. Mine was 31 degrees, next one was 29, next was 31 and so on and so on.
Hi Mark, great article.
I would like to add in light of the comments that I’m tired of the ‘ABC is Left argument’.
They may seem left to many people but they have independently been verified as the news service most accuratley reporting the news.
News should be reported as it happens with no bias.
Comment is comment but as Mark says it is not clearly marked as news these days especially in News Corps newspapers.
I believe our major parties have gone so far over to the right that any central point of view is seen as ‘Left’.
The funding cuts to the ABC were a disgraceful move by a desperate Govt. One that had its’ leader cough up $1.75m to influence our vote in the last election.
Matt (swinging voter who is saddened by the demise of the morals of our politicians and increasingly poor news services).
I made a general statement. No need to be defensive Mark.
Bias is only an interpretation by the reader. Different readers will have a different interpretation.
Thanks for the advice Ted. I didn’t write it feeling defensive. The sentence made no sense is all.
Allan Wickham above, that was a very funny comment. Same happens where we are, plus horse-racing tips! Love it !
In the digital age, state owned publically funded media is an archaic and outdated concept and should be abandoned immediately.