Journalism and Truth in an Age of Social Media
New York: Oxford University Press (2019), xix, 283 pp.
Contains index
ISBN 978-0-19-090026-7 (pbk); 978-0-19-090027-4 (online)
"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." (Publisher description)
1 Introduction / James E. Katz and Kate K. Mays, 1
PART I: DEMOCRACY, NEWS, AND SOCIETY
2 Belgium Invades Germany: Can Facts Survive Politics? / Michael Schudson, 21
Spotlight: Pierre Bourdieu and the Journalistic Field / David L. Swartz, 37
3 From Information Availability to Factual Accountability: Reconsidering How Truth Matters for Politicians, Publics, and the News Media / Lucas Graves and Chris Wells, 39
4 Fake News: A New Obsession with an Old Phenomenon? / Nicole M. Krause Christopher D. Wirz, Dietram A. Scheufele, and Michael A. Xenos, 58
PART II: PILLARS OF TRUTH IN JOURNALISM
Spotlight: Sophisticated Modernism and Truth / Edward Schiappa, 81
5 "The True" in Journalism / Juliet Floyd, 85
6 Truth in Journalism / Zeynep Soysal, 103
PART III: CRAFT OF JOURNALISM AND TRUTH
7 Canards, Fausses Nouvelles, Paranoid Style: Classic Authors for an Emerging Phenomenon / Peppino Ortoleva, 119
8 Scoop: The Challenge of Foreign Correspondence / John Maxwell Hamilton and Heidi Tworek, 133
9 Searching for Truth in Fragmented Spaces: Chat Apps and Verification in News Production / Colin Agur and Valerie Belair-Gagnon, 151
10 The Use and Verification of Online Sources in the News Production Process / Sophie Lecheler, Sanne Kruikemeier, and Yael de Haan, 167
11 Technological Affordances Can Promote Misinformation: What Journalists Should Watch Out for When Relying on Online Tools and Social Media / Maria D. Molina and S. Shyam Sundar, 182
PART IV: RECEPTION AND PERCEPTION
12 Fake News Finds an Audience / Erik P. Bucy and John E. Newhagen, 201
13 Truth at Large: When Social Media Investigations Get It Wrong / Edson C. Tandoc Jr., 223
14 Emotional Characteristics of Social Media and Political Misperceptions / Brian E. Weeks and R. Kelly Garrett, 236
15 Conclusion / Kate K. Mays and James E. Katz, 251
PART I: DEMOCRACY, NEWS, AND SOCIETY
2 Belgium Invades Germany: Can Facts Survive Politics? / Michael Schudson, 21
Spotlight: Pierre Bourdieu and the Journalistic Field / David L. Swartz, 37
3 From Information Availability to Factual Accountability: Reconsidering How Truth Matters for Politicians, Publics, and the News Media / Lucas Graves and Chris Wells, 39
4 Fake News: A New Obsession with an Old Phenomenon? / Nicole M. Krause Christopher D. Wirz, Dietram A. Scheufele, and Michael A. Xenos, 58
PART II: PILLARS OF TRUTH IN JOURNALISM
Spotlight: Sophisticated Modernism and Truth / Edward Schiappa, 81
5 "The True" in Journalism / Juliet Floyd, 85
6 Truth in Journalism / Zeynep Soysal, 103
PART III: CRAFT OF JOURNALISM AND TRUTH
7 Canards, Fausses Nouvelles, Paranoid Style: Classic Authors for an Emerging Phenomenon / Peppino Ortoleva, 119
8 Scoop: The Challenge of Foreign Correspondence / John Maxwell Hamilton and Heidi Tworek, 133
9 Searching for Truth in Fragmented Spaces: Chat Apps and Verification in News Production / Colin Agur and Valerie Belair-Gagnon, 151
10 The Use and Verification of Online Sources in the News Production Process / Sophie Lecheler, Sanne Kruikemeier, and Yael de Haan, 167
11 Technological Affordances Can Promote Misinformation: What Journalists Should Watch Out for When Relying on Online Tools and Social Media / Maria D. Molina and S. Shyam Sundar, 182
PART IV: RECEPTION AND PERCEPTION
12 Fake News Finds an Audience / Erik P. Bucy and John E. Newhagen, 201
13 Truth at Large: When Social Media Investigations Get It Wrong / Edson C. Tandoc Jr., 223
14 Emotional Characteristics of Social Media and Political Misperceptions / Brian E. Weeks and R. Kelly Garrett, 236
15 Conclusion / Kate K. Mays and James E. Katz, 251
