Restoring Credibility to Journalism
I became an entertainment writer around 2013, as a website I wrote for regularly began featuring my entertainment pieces. I enjoyed drawing parallels between society and what we watched. I enjoyed finding patterns, writing recaps, and creating fun roundups for readers. I became a syndicated writer, and would pitch my editors nearly constantly because I so loved music, television, and movies. About a year later, I found myself a syndicated entertainment writer for a major magazine.
My content had, in general, been carefully curated, working with editors on themes, word count, and style. The promotional work I did stuck very closely within the parameters I was given. It was a world of order and I liked it. I felt safe.
Around 2015, however, the landscape began to change. Journalistic pieces were rapidly replaced with clickbait, as many websites became driven by pageviews and ad revenue. As such, the quality of writing had begun to decline.
A major outlet for whom I had been writing, which had previously been carefully examining my pieces before publication, began hurling pieces out into the universe, without adequate grammatical editing, and, more shockingly, without being fact-checked. I even once submitted a piece with an intentional error just to see whether they’d catch it, but they did not. It was published with the error, and I had to contact my editor to have it changed.
I had written pieces that had slang and buzzwords added, I had been asked to write with shorter words and sentences, and had also been asked to upload more pictures between the text. Some of my pieces were merely slideshows with captions.
My love for writing, I felt, was being crumbled to ash in front of my face. So, in late 2015, with a decent-sized platform and otherwise satisfying and successful writing career, I decided to step back from online publications.
In 2016, as I was working with a local magazine, I had begun the process (against all migratory patterns) of becoming a credentialed journalist and news photographer. I joined a few professional associations, and began writing for a trade publication. I also began volunteering my writing and photography to both local and national nonprofits.
When the magazine for which I worked changed formats, we parted ways, paving the way for my work with a local newspaper, providing community and government news, as well as shooting local events and promos.
A year or two passed, driving in the ‘slow lane’ with the print and photojournalists, but I still kept an ear to the Internet ground. If an entertainment piece caught my eye, I would click. I’d read for clarity, balance, and overall tone.
Some pieces from some publications were outstanding — fair and balanced, presenting facts, data, and alternative viewpoints. Some were, unfortunately, not. After reading a few very poorly balanced pieces, that smacked more of personal opinion (or, in some cases, grudge) than fact, I began to investigate authors, to learn what made them ‘qualified’ to share, and my results were disturbing.
I found that those with the strongest (often negative) opinions did not appear to possess the experience one would reasonably determine appropriate to make their judgments. They also appeared to lack analytical eyes and balanced presentations. Many authors were just spouting off, which in the blog world would be fine, except they were writing for large, well-respected platforms.
I even reached out to one author, in hopes of verifying the practical experience required for the arguments she was making (big arguments, enormous issue), and she confessed that she did not. A house built upon sand. A large, scary, highly visible house built upon sand, into which hundreds of thousands of readers regularly put stock.
After that, I worried so much about my own credibility, I had to go back and examine my experience to ensure it was sufficient to discuss my own subject matter.
I had several years of progressively significant entertainment writing experience. In my free time, I had become an adult college music student, and began working with a professional traveling choir, its director, liaisons, and different conductors. I am also part of a band and a stationery choir.
I have photographed awards shows, concerts, and private events, as well as interviewed and written about artists and fans for small and large publications. I have attended tapings and concert rehearsals as well as spent time backstage at high-grossing entertainers’ shows.
I determined, for whatever it’s worth, that I am, indeed, qualified to create entertainment-related content — perhaps even more qualified than those whom I was reading.
But this is not about me.
I will leave you with a few pieces of advice: Examine your sources — not only the website or publication, but also who the site hires to create their content. Make sure they can identify the subtleties of their subject matter, and understand and present other opinions than their own.
And please remember, formal education does not equal life experience. Make sure the person writing for you has some experience in the real world.
Someone with a snappy attitude, fresh out of college with one semester’s worth of experience, may be savvy enough to garner clicks, but will not provide the balanced experience for which one may be looking.
Compelling word combinations do not a satisfactory presentation make. And, by God, please do not count sarcasm or humor as a knowledge base.
Someone with a quick wit and the ability to gain followers may be good at just those things. Having a command over words does not give one command over a subject.
Be discerning in your reading and writing. If you’re not qualified to speak on a particular topic, it’s best to leave the task to someone who is.
And try not to throw your support into the corner of an author whose education or experience had not earned your respect. By doing so, we can potentially bring some much-needed credibility back to journalism.
