The politicization of the media environment over the past few years has made it more difficult for journalists to do their job. A lot of people describe present-day developments as a propaganda or information war between the representatives of various interests and ideologies. The battle for attention and agenda-setting power is intensifying on a daily basis and many of the participants believe that the end justifies the means. Given that future technological and social media advances, the convergence of media and political interests, and the polarization of society are likely to complicate the current situation even further, the media and journalists everywhere should reconsider their behavior and responsibility as soon as possible.
“What’s at stake isn’t ‘fake news,’” Danah Boyd, a researcher and visiting professor at New York University, writes in Medium. “What’s at stake is the increasing capacity of those committed to a form of isolationist and hate-driven tribalism that has been around for a very long time. They have evolved with the information landscape, becoming sophisticated in leveraging whatever tools are available to achieve power, status, and attention. And those seeking a progressive and inclusive agenda, those seeking to combat tribalism to form a more perfect union – they haven’t kept up.”
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The media should wake up to the realities of the information war
