Why are people turning away from mainstream media and seeking alternative sources of news? Last week, the University of Canberra released its annual survey of trust in the media, which made fascinating reading. Among its results, it found Australians' concern about misinformation was the highest globally. It said Australia 'urgently needed' a national media and digital literacy campaign to help news consumers feel confident about their ability to spot misinformation. But what would that campaign look like?

Let's take a very quick look at the news-gathering model, think about what makes stories 'true', and consider some of the pressures journalists face to stop them telling certain stories. It's a huge topic, but it's necessary to talk about.

A Basic Model for News

Journalists are taught that news stories should contain the 'Five Ws': Who, What, Where, When, and Why. If a news outlet covers an event, its coverage should contain those basic elements. The first four Ws can be simple enough. They're the building blocks for basic stories like this: There is a huge flood (what) in outback Queensland (where) right now (when) and more than 100,000 head of livestock are estimated to be dead or lost (who). The last W in the model — Why — can be more complicated, because that's how you apply 'meaning' to an event. Why has something happened? Why is it important?

What Kind of Stories Are They?

Now, that's an oversimplified description of the way the news-gathering model works in reality. The conceptual boundaries between the Five Ws aren't always clear-cut. There's a lot of interplay between them. For example, depending on the type of story you're covering, you might need an expert's help to know what the facts of certain phenomena are before you can even start writing about them (re: the science of climate change). But you get the gist.

If you wanted to teach someone how news was generated, you'd start with a bare-bones, idealised model like that. Then you'd take the next step. You'd say we always need to remember that they're just stories, at the end of the day. They're trying to turn the chaos and confusion of reality into a comprehensible 'story' that helps the human brain to make sense of a very complex world.

If the Powerful Can Dictate Terms, They'll Destroy Your Stories

Is everyone in the media industry a good person pursuing a noble cause? Of course not. It's like any industry. Some media companies behave like the media-arm of their preferred political party, do hit jobs on their enemies, and always seem ready to manufacture consent for the next war. But there are plenty of journalists and editors that really try to tell the truth. In independent media and the legacy media. They appreciate that they have to keep demonstrating to their readers that their stories can be trusted. They know if readers start to notice that their stories are omitting crucial facts, including basic facts of history and law, while downplaying some voices and elevating others, their readers will lose trust in their ability to tell truthful stories.

Should the Media Talk Openly About the Pressures It Faces?

We're living in a dangerous moment in history. In the last 12 months, arms and weapons manufacturers, and cyber intelligence and security companies linked to the global war machine, have been making extremely handsome profits. Governments, militaries, and different lobby groups are trying to stop people speaking up about the atrocities they're witnessing and the concerns they have about the future. How should journalists report on these events?

On Lying and Politics

Do we want the media to speak matter-of-factly about propaganda too? Every military engages in it, including the Australian Defence Force. Governments and lobby groups engage in it. They use different propaganda strategies for different audiences (whether domestic or foreign), and apply different tactics to try to control the media narrative at different times. These are all things the media has to navigate.

What Do We Want From Reporters?

In last week's media survey, respondents said they wanted journalists 'to be more courageous and ask tough questions'. They wanted the media to 'report the facts' and 'tell the truth'. But let's raise some adjacent issues. Do we want journalists to have morals? Do we want their work to be guided by their morals and ethics? Do we want them to speak up about the injustice they see around them, or do we want them to stay quiet? George Orwell is considered one of the greatest journalists and writers of the 20th century.

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation