I was taking a venture through the sometimes toxic, infantile human emotion that is the comments section this week after finishing a piece by Heather Mallick opining the importance of journalism and accountability in these fast-paced contemporary times when I discovered some news I was not aware of.
If the hundred or so comments are to be taken as a population sample, apparently Canadians are washing their hands of journalism, happily, and I guess it’s been dead for some time — not sure what I’ve been doing for the past five years.
I did something I haven’t done in a long while, I think people were still doing that Gangnam Style dance, I entered the fray. I dove in head first to defend my principles and I made a comment on a news story. In it I noted the many hard-working people I have had the pleasure of sharing a workspace with over my short career, how we all take on more tasks as the industry begins belt-tightening tactics and that many of the comments I was reading were dismissive. I thought I put forward a solid counterpoint to the dumpster fire of negative ignorance being ferociously typed. “Maybe if you were not such a useful idiot to the Liberals you would be respected more,” said one reply. “Don’t take it personally, but if you’re working for any of the two big papers, your opinion is skewed to their political stance.”
The first commenter doesn’t know me, who I work for, or any of my work. I know because I asked for proof, he did not reply, but continued to comment to others about “champagne sipping, limousine liberals.” I’m sorry, where was I for the champagne and limousines?
Shocking news. I had no idea I was a puppet. Am I really writing this right now? Or is some suit standing over my shoulder guiding the keys like some creepy Ouija board. These commenters sang out in unison that journalism was dead, so content to dance on its grave with almost glee-like charm not seen since the Whos in Whoville joined hands in the last scene in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
This isn’t an attitude isolated to the comments section on this particular story. It’s a prevalent opinion. As a young journalist I don’t have a lot of friends that read my work.
“I get my news from Reddit,” is a common saying. Yes, those aggregated articles, usually from national or local news outlets with journalists doing the ground work necessary to bring a fair and accurate story forward, that’s where you get your news.
I can accept that the Times’ are changing (two points if you get the pun), the media landscape is heading in new directions, but to see people so gleeful to throw the principles of accountability under the bus and vilify “the lame-stream media” is depressing.
Granted there is a bigger role for raw footage. Firsthand accounts of events via cell phone video or police body cams as they occur has the ability to carry objectivity into a realm Hunter S. Thompson couldn’t foresee — he was often quoted as saying the only objective journalism is the box score for a baseball game.
Commenters cry out like spoiled children “good riddance liberal scum!” Seemingly unaware things will only get worse as the press thin out across the country. I’m about to cautiously use a phrase that neo-liberalism has taken over, but seriously people, check your privilege. The theory that we are all liberal puppets is offensive not only to the hardworking journalists across the country, putting in long hours to bring important stories and context to their communities, but to the hundreds of journalists in jail overseas.
China leads the charge with 44 incarcerated journalists, Iran up next with 30. Most of these journalists are incarcerated for “subverting state authority” a.k.a saying something the state didn’t want people to hear a.k.a the truth.
Accountability is the centre-piece of journalism’s value. If a blogger operating out of his/her parents basement gets the facts wrong, creates libellous rumours and defames you, what are you going to sue them for? A futon and a bag of Doritos? Uber was just legalized for the first time in Canada in Edmonton. Ride-sharing services, and services for house-sitting strangers like Airbnb, seem like great ways to take on the bloated and broken establishment, as do bloggers to the old-timey and allegedly skewed journalists like myself.
Bloggers, commenters and posters on Reddit are accountable to nobody. There’s no criminal record check to be a blogger, there is no guarantee that you can call up a blogger to complain, just like anybody can be an Uber driver. Yes systems are always becoming outdated, but we all need to realize there has to be middle ground. No, regulation and accountability are not sexy. They shouldn’t have to be, they are societal pillars.
More than anything, it’s the divisiveness that really eats at me. Through web of rhetoric and soundbites, I know deep down we’re all on the same side.
We all want peace and prosperity for ourselves and our neighbours. Can we shake the facade that it’s as easy as type-yelling your argument in all capital letters draping complexity in sarcasm and superfluous name-calling. Somehow I doubt commenters enabled by the anonymity of the internet would stand next to a firefighter and exclaim “I COULD PUT OUT THE FIRE BETTER OMG.”
As a side note, I’m infinitely curious as to where all the commenters get their high horses with their omniscient ability to convict, champion, create or destroy without going through all the boring checks and balances of accountability.
Let he without sin write the first comment.
Dale Boyd is a reporter with the Penticton Western News