As a young adult and like many of my friends the main way that I access my news is through social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook. Although most of my news comes from Instagram, the pages I follow are from mainstream news channels themselves such as the ABC or Triple J Hack. The news headlines are usually the big ones, information about the coronavirus or what’s happening currently with the sexual assault allegations in Parliament. However, on Instagram I find out news stories which are more international such as the Asian hate crimes happening in America at the moment. Instagram influencers are also key news sources especially since some of them have personal experiences which are relevant to the news they may comment on.
So who ‘owns’ this news, can you trust it and does control matter?
The news I get from social media personalities could be considered more independent or individual but it is certainly something I consider less reliable (or trustworthy). This is because the opinion is just one individual, they wouldn’t have the time or money to research the facts and I don’t know if they are being influenced. I would consider the mainstream media more reliable and trustworthy and it’s possible that I trust these sources more because we have a similar political lens. I wouldn’t trust media that represents a different political lens in the same way. But I suspect the people who do consume news from any source do so because they share that world view and trust that news for the same reasons that I trust my news sources.
I certainly know who owns and controls the Murdoch news because he is so famous. I couldn’t say the same about the ABC or Sydney Morning Herald, so knowing who controls the media organisations I trust is not that important to me. What is more important is their reflection of my worldview and there are plenty of news sources that appeal to me, both in Australia and internationally. So I guess what’s important is not who controls the news but that there is a range of views available, through the news we consume.
This “Media Plurality” is explored by Chris Goddall in his TedxTalk in 2012. He strongly supports media plurality and in his argument reflects on the findings of forty years of media research that shows that it’s important that the media covers an issue, rather than what they say about it. His argument is that you need a range of voices so that different topics and points of view are presented, because if the media is all saying the same thing then it is almost impossible to voice a different opinion. But he’s also saying that it doesn't matter what the owner of any one news source publishes, just that they shouldn’t be the dominant source. I certainly agree with that and I think today’s access to more and more news sources, whether via social media or international news sites will help increase media plurality.
Goodall, Chris. Why media plurality matters. TEDxOxford, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpbo-jD4sfI&t=307s
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