Taking a stand for truth against social media
Are people becoming so insensible to truth that rabid partisan talkshows — and the comfortable, intuitive bias-friendly advertising and gossip of social media — will replace objective fact-based journalism entirely?
What is the future of journalism in a technology-driven world that immediately disseminates unverified and false information globally, removing the objective fact-checking function of journalism — at a time when reason and trust in authority are in decline, and emotion trumps logic.
In 2017, president and Lincoln Professor of History at Harvard University Drew Gilpin Faust opened a panel event, “The Future of News: Journalism in a PostTruth Era” by referring to, “the future of journalism and the erosion of fact.”
“I can think of no more important question on which a university and the press could join forces … the pursuit of truth … veritas, as our motto has it, is at the heart of what each of us is and does. For centuries universities have been places where knowledge was collected, studies, debated, expanded, changed, and advanced, through the power of human reason and the crucible of rationale argument and exchange. Like journalists, we regard facts as the necessary foundation for human decision-making and human progress. In the policies of governments, in the policies of science, in the lives of individuals, societies and nations. Yet we now confront what has been called a ‘post-truth era.’ One in which evidence, critical-thinking, and analysis are pushed aside in favour of emotion and intuition as basis for action and judgment. These are not just questions of epistemology. For journalism they are matters of survival. In a transformed technological world of social media, which is where twothirds of American adults now get their news, it is the popular acclaim of clicks, not the rigorous standards of depth and accuracy that measure success … and measure economic viability.”
While producing real news costs money, social media like Google and Facebook have historically pirated content from news publishers, earning billions of dollars annually on the backs of struggling legitimate journalists.
Now, finally, that practice is being challenged by the Government of Australia — and the world is watching.
On Feb. 15, Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) Bill 2021 was passed in parliament to establish a “mandatory code of conduct that applies to news media businesses and digital platform corporations when bargaining in relation to news content made available by digital platform services.” Bill 2021 forces search engines and social media companies to pay for news content.
In response, Facebook announced it would ban users in Australia from sharing or reading news articles on its site and bar anyone outside the country from seeing any Australian news content.
“Last year Facebook generated approximately 5.1 billion free referrals to Australian publishers worth an estimated $407 million (AU). Despite some of these discussions, Facebook does not steal, take or copy news content,” posted Facebook.
On Tuesday it was announced that agreement had been reached and Facebook would lift its ban. New amendments give digital platforms one month’s notice before they are formally designated, affording time to broker agreements before they are forced to enter binding arbitration.
“The latest twist proves that regulation works,” said Angela Mills Wade, executive director of the European Publishers Council. “Regulators from around the world will be reassured that they can continue to take inspiration from the Australian government’s determination to withstand unacceptable threats from powerful commercial gatekeepers.”
In Canada, a similar battle is being headed by News Media Canada, representing hundreds of news publishers across Canada. The campaign has been dubbed “Disappearing Headlines,” and is designed to “raise awareness that our newspapers and their digital news outlets — and our democracy — are under attack.”
“It costs real money to report trusted, fact-based news. Unfortunately, global tech giants such as Google and Facebook refuse to pay a fair price for content created by Canadian news outlets. At the same time, these titans drain off more than 80 per cent of all digital advertising revenue in Canada,” reported Torstar. The campaign is asking Ottawa to follow the Australian example and enact legislation to protect Canadian content.
Between 2010 and 2017, 225 weekly and 27 daily newspapers were lost to closure or merger in Canada. The Economist has referred to the dangerous weakening of society’s “truth-producing infrastructure.”
Truth is now confronting siliconvalley surveillance capitalists at what may be a pivotal moment. Democracy hangs precariously upon the outcome.