Meanwhile, many news organizations are still in the process of verification. This gap in speed has led many to worry that journalism is gradually being overtaken by social media.
If we consider the competition between journalism and social media simply as a race for speed, journalism would certainly struggle to win. Millions of social media users with smartphones in hand can become "news providers" at any time. An accident, a fire, or an unusual event can be live-streamed online in just seconds.
But speed has never been the sole core value of journalism. What sets journalism apart is credibility. While social media can spread information at lightning speed, journalism has a responsibility to verify information before publishing it.
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Reporters from Tien Phong newspaper working at sea. |
A photograph can go viral online, but only the press has the responsibility to answer the crucial questions: What happened? Why did it happen? Who is responsible? And what lessons do people need to know from this incident?
Looking back at many sensational incidents in recent years, it's clear that social media is often the first place to uncover them, but the press is the force that helps shed light on the true nature of the issue.
From cases involving contaminated food, child abuse, land management irregularities, or cyber fraud, it is the press that investigates, analyzes, and pursues these issues to the end, ultimately bringing the truth to light.
In other words, social media typically answers the question "something is happening," while journalism has to answer the question "what is the truth?".
The worrying thing isn't that social media is developing too quickly, but rather if journalism loses its competitive edge by chasing after social media. When journalism focuses solely on sensational headlines, exploiting emotions, and copying what's going on online, it inadvertently becomes a slower version of social media.
Therefore, in that competition, journalism cannot win by becoming a social network. On the contrary, journalism needs to do better what social networks cannot do.
It involves verifying information, conducting independent investigations, critically analyzing policies, providing multi-faceted analysis, protecting public interests, and contributing to shaping society with authentic and humane values.
Of course, that doesn't mean journalism can afford to be slow or conservative. In the digital age, journalism still needs to make significant changes in how it produces and distributes content.
Digital platforms, short videos , podcasts, interactive graphics, and artificial intelligence are all tools that should be leveraged to reach readers more effectively. But technology is only a means. The core values of journalism must remain truth, professionalism, and social responsibility.
Social media may lead in speed. Algorithms can decide which content goes viral. But public trust cannot be built solely on likes, shares, or millions of views.
In an information-saturated world , what people need most is not to know things a few minutes faster, but to know the truth. Therefore, journalism doesn't need to fear being left behind by social media. What journalism needs to fear is losing its identity, losing trust, and losing its very reason for existence.
By persistently pursuing the truth, serving the public interest, and upholding professional standards, journalism is not lagging behind social media. Journalism is treading a different path—a path of responsibility, verification, and social trust. And that is the long-term goal that no algorithm can replace.
Source: https://znews.vn/sao-phai-so-mang-xa-hoi-post1661377.html
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