Larry Atkins

[Commentary] Who do we rely on to get our news? Unfortunately, most people are getting their news via social media. It’s important that people regain their trust in the mainstream media due to flaws in social media, such as recent fake news stories posted on Facebook and Twitter. However, most of the blame on the public’s information deficit is being placed on the media and social media platforms. That blame is partially misplaced. We, as news consumers, need to take the initiative to be more skeptical and questioning about the information that we receive.

It’s also essential that people become savvy media consumers in order to wade through the vast ocean of information that is available. The mainstream media and journalism took a reputation hit during this past election. However, journalists continue to serve an important role in society as watchdogs on the government and politicians to keep them honest and to expose corruption. It’s a profession that we can’t live without in a free society.

[Larry Atkins teaches Journalism at Temple University and Arcadia University.]

[Commentary] Over the past 15 years, as newspaper circulation has declined, more and more people are turning to advocacy journalism via websites, talk radio, cable TV, and blogs to get their news. The problem is that many of these blogs and websites are biased, have an agenda, don't do much fact checking, aren't edited, and aren't held accountable when they get facts wrong.

TV networks like MSNBC and FOX News and talk radio talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have a clearly biased agenda. Yet, many people rely on advocacy journalism as their main source of news.

As reported by Andrew Beaujon of Poynter.org on June 10, a newly released survey by the Public Religion Research Institute and Brookings Institute on religion, values, and immigration reform revealed that "people's media choices have a strong effect on their beliefs." The study stated that, "Only 42% of Republicans who most trust Fox News to provide accurate information about politics and current events support a path to citizenship, compared to 60% of Republicans who most trust other news sources."

Advocacy journalists do not set out to inform; they set out to advance an agenda, whether it be conservative or liberal. While FOX News and conservative talk radio show hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are the worst offenders, liberal television hosts like Al Sharpton and Rachel Maddow also fall into this category. They are all giving their opinion and reporting news with a goal and a biased agenda. Perhaps most importantly, advocacy journalism is polarizing our country.

[Atkins is Journalist, Lawyer, Professor]