"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 soci
...
al 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." (Publisher description)
more
"Foreign aid has continually searched for true north and never found it. In the beginning, development experts concentrated on national economic growth, believing the benefits would trickle down to poor people. Free press systems benefit American journalists and their institutions directly. Because
...
of their duty to inform their customers, journalists have an interest in securing as much access to the rest of the world as possible. Countries with free press systems afford more access than those without. Also, well-trained foreign journalists can aid media organizations. Journalists were among the first to call for foreign aid. As the ones who know and care most about a free press, they should make propagation of independent media their special aid mission. The task is too important a matter to be left to anyone else. The Independent Journalism Foundation, among a few other institutions, operates in-the-field training centers for working journalists that sometimes include special training for students." (Abstract)
more