In the modern world, news stations and physical news media such as newspapers are often disregarded, with many people turning to social media as a more reliable source of current events. Although most people still get their news from the more old-fashioned sources, 48% of Americans are cited to obtain their news from social media (Walker & Matsa, 2021). The media most used as a news source, according to the same survey, is Facebook, followed by YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram (Walker & Matsa, 2021). Overall, there is a general distrust in the population towards the mainstream news sources such as CNN, NBC, and FOX. Approximately 65% of Americans believe that they are being “misled” by “journalists and reporters” who report “false or gross exaggerations” (Meek, 2021). Therefore, there is no surprise that people are turning to alternative sources to obtain information on current events.
However, there are issues that are associated with such patterns, which lie in the anonymity and speed of spread of news online. There is no avoidance of a certain level of bias with any sort of news reporting, and the alternative news media are not exempt from this rule. Furthermore, there is often a lack of consequences associated with the news reporting through social media, which can be even more harmful than the potentially misleading mainstream news.
Response to the Peer Post
In your post, you talked about the pros and cons of lobbyists as a tool for special interest groups. The latter have a significant impact on decision makers and voters, contributing information and advertising their position (Wolton, 2019). Therefore, it is vital to make use of the tools available to maximize the positive effect. I agree with your point that lobbyists “provide an elegant avenue” for groups and “help influence new proposals.” Furthermore, they do have a risk of creating bias, as you have stated. It is a complex topic and your answer provides an extensive analysis of it.
References
Walker, M. & Matsa, K. E. (2021). News consumption across social media in 2021. Pew Research Center. Web.
Meek, A. (2021). Fewer Americans than ever before trust the mainstream media. Forbes. Web.
Wolton, S. (2019). Lobbying, inside and out: How special interest groups influence policy choices.