This World News Day, it is time to reflect on how the world has progressed in terms of providing news to people. Journalism has been around since ancient Rome, when the Acta Diurna was hung in prominent public places. The news sheet contained daily events and important speeches. The idea of getting acquainted with daily news can be dated back to 59 BC in ancient Rome, and this sheds light on the fact that man has always been interested in what is happening around him. In this day and age, it has become even more crucial to always be updated because the 21st century has created a fast-paced world.
This fast-paced world has brought about both virtues and vices in the world of journalism. The speed of news traveling from one place to another has significantly increased, which leads to people becoming aware of important events happening around the world. However, this has also led to a bombardment of information on people, which sometimes becomes overwhelming.
With the onset of the 21st century, the internet was introduced to almost all parts of the world and within a few years this changed the landscape for journalism. News began traveling faster than light and almost everyone who was even slightly interested in what was happening around the world could see. Today, almost everyone is aware of important events going on in the world. The outlets, however, have significantly, changed.
A few decades earlier, the only way to find out about important events was through the next day’s newspaper. People had the habit of reading newspapers while having breakfast or while traveling to and from work on buses and trains. A few years later, television was introduced, and channels divided their time into certain slots. There were morning and evening news reports, and other programmes took the rest of the slots for the day. Later on, the internet was made available to all, and there were many websites that provided daily news updates. Now, there are numerous news channels, multiple newspapers, and various accounts on social media sites that act as news agencies.
With the passage of time, the time it takes for news to travel to all continents has been significantly reduced. Now, people do not need to wait for the next day to find out about some important event, nor do they have to wait for certain time slots. With almost everyone having smart phones that are connected to the internet, it does not even take a minute for someone to find out what is happening around them.
Moreover, with everyone having access to social media and mobile phones with video and sound recorders, it has become easy for anyone to post breaking news online. However, this takes away the essence and etiquette of real journalism. It has become fairly easy for anyone to make anything go viral. However, that does not mean that it is true. Many times, breaking news is highly exaggerated and posted solely to get a minute or two of fame.
Not only do individuals indulge in such activities, but renowned news channels and newspapers have adopted this style. This is the era of click baits and catchy thumbnails that provide little to no authentic information to people. Moreover, news that stems out of social media has no credibility and is more of propaganda. Fake news is rampant all over the world, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for real journalism to take space in this area.
This World News Day, news outlets must look inwards, reflect on their activities, and pledge to provide true and authentic news only from now onwards, as it is crucial for society.
