What's in a Quality News Source?

The following quote (refers to UK media, but applies everywhere) points to a quite developed, still growing problem in news posts on social media sites (where most people source their information today). The problem often extends to the linked articles of said posts:

"Where there is no distinction between the Quality press (like The Times of London and The Observer) which caters for elitist, high brow, intellectual readers and the Popular press, which is more suited for plebeian tastes, newspapers have to be all things to all people. So, newspapers likes The Times of Zambia and The Post are an editorial compromise, cutting across different intellectual levels."¹

There's a local U.S. newspaper in our area that, over the last several years, got its start online. Over time, quality of said paper's online presence gradually improved and eventually a print version was born. Printed editions are presented very well, while greater slack is still observable in the online version (where more immediate, less regulated posting is possible).

So, it's been an observable phenomenon that as a publication betters itself it will usually begin to batten hatches, so to speak. The new ship shall sail, and to do so it must maintain the utmost in integrity. This new vessel comes at a much greater cost! Therefore, it needs subscribers. In order to continue to refine its Quality, the ship stewards need financial support. We do not live in a free society.

Where some news organizations will take care to monitor their offerings of quality news sourcing at the mass social level, most will not. This is evident in much of the newsy propaganda so widely available in free online sources, such as social media's promotional news posting.

How we can encourage greater, actionable, news reception

Together, these developments remind us that all things have their start, and while it's true that the most refined things in life are generally reserved and sold to the highest bidders, it's worth our trust that most people desire basic standards. The trick is in such people having ever understood what is better or, more useful to the end that is needed.

Unrest among social media audiences who know better clearly shows frustration at journalism cutting corners on already-carved expectations in media news reporting. However, what these audiences largely miss is that this isn't going to change very much.

Where such expectations have not been rooted, they may not grow. 

As the years pass and a greater quantity of people fall into economic burden, access to Quality news reporting becomes a greater game of chance. While in such an economy and social structure as we currently experience there may be a greater number of millionaires, as well as those who manage to scrape themselves hundreds of thousand dollars per annum, there will be- with that- massive numbers of those who believe they cannot afford to purchase any Quality News. As the divide grows, between news for them and news for those, it's kind of astonishing to realize the implications of that kind of journalism.

Where such expectations (of Quality) have not been rooted, they may not grow. This is a moral lesson we can observe as we decide on quality of goods and services to a public and also as we consider how important accurate-- and full-- news reporting is to society. Rather than make a point of not purchasing a news source simply because we think we're receiving 'good enough' information for free, we should commit to the acquisition of at least one news source in which we're happy to invest. The more, the better, for us all. We must lead our children to their best outcomes, simply by ensuring that they have the Quality information that they need.

What do you think?

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1 Djokotoe, Edem. "Creative Newspaper Writing". 6/2008. IJNET. http://ijnet.org/en/blog/creative-newspaper-writing 9/2016^↩