Decent reporting: does it exist any more?

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Greyson

Hey Linus, spot on observation and a reasonable question. In answer to your question, "Decent reporting: does it exist anymore?" Mostly No. I say mostly because well researched news and unbiased news/journalism is hard to find. I know you know this already but much of the population gives no thought to the "news" they are being fed or not.

With the event of the internet news or what is labeled news/journalism can be found with the magic search engine. As like all news the key is some critical analysis but what I see happening is people take in the news, images react with some sort of emotional response, form an opinion without much critical and honest analysis. Can you tell I have got a bee in my bonnet? (Using that last phrase, I am showing my age.)

Back to journalism and the internet.... I am concerned that journalism is really in danger of disappearing altogether. People can get their "news" for free on the internet. Why buy a newspaper, magazine, journal? I like getting information/news for free and from all over the world. But how is real journalism, real researched news going to be sustained?

Thanks for the question.

See, that's one of the things that bugged me when I was a professor. The internet is a tool that can be used for effective research. Just because the news is online (although a good, hefty Sunday edition with oodles of comics is something I still miss -- I do remember reading the Toronto Star front to back on Sundays) doesn't excuse it, IMO, from being done well.