Tracking Bible Prophecy Headlines - 5/15/2019

US journalism has become more subjective: study

phys.org/news/2019-05-journalism-subjective.html

This article addresses a study that was conducted which shows change in journalism occurred in 2000. It's not a long, or terribly in-depth, article, but it has some good points to consider:

- A "gradual and subtle shift over time" has occurred between old media (newspapers/other print media & broadcast network news) and new media (extensive cable news & digital journalism)

- Before 2000, broadcast news used more complex reasoning with academic and precise language

- After 2000, broadcast news became less pre-planned and more conversational

- Cable news focuses on more specific audiences and uses a large amount of argumentative language

- Newspapers have changed the least over time, with the biggest change being a shift toward a more narrative style

- As for digital journalism online, "the report found that online content is more personal and direct, narrating key social and policy issues through personal points of view and subjective references"

The take-away from this article is that, if new consumers realize this change has occurred, and they have an idea of what the changes have been, they will be better prepared to think through the value of the news sources they choose to follow.

Additionally, the volume of opinion over fact points out that changes in the media have contributed to what RAND calls "Truth Decay."

A companion piece is referenced at the end of this article that's also worth the read:

Declining trust in facts, institutions imposes real-world costs on US society, report finds

phys.org/news/2018-01-declining-facts-imposes-real-world-society.html

This article identifies the 4 causes of "Truth Decay" :