Ubiquitous Media

In an age of instant news accessed through the internet, print media sees a steep competition from the online media. Print media includes newspapers and magazines which are published in paper and are distributed to the readers. In comparison, online media can range from social media to news websites which upload news in the internet. Anyone with an access to internet can read, view or listen to the news from the online media. 

I remember times before the rise of internet. Those were simple times. My parents used to listen to news on the radio/FM every morning. They then read newspapers at their respective offices and once home from work, they tuned in to television for news or occasional TV shows. We children would watch TV shows along with our parents.

I would listen to music with my siblings through FM/radio which blasted the latest hits. We rarely went to the theatres to watch movies; instead Saturday was the day that Nepal TV broadcast movies on a weekly basis. Every household that I knew would gather around for a Saturday movie matinee at the comfort of their homes. 

The online media has ruled over traditional media such as FM/radio, TV and print newspapers. And online media is subject to several trends and fads. There was a time in the 2010s when blogs were popular. Nowadays, people create vlogs instead which are basically short videos. Like the rest of the youth worldwide, Nepali youth too actively create vlogs. It makes me feel old seeing all the TikTok videos and YouTube vlogs. I wonder how time has flown by and how the world has leapt from traditional media to online media in a matter of years. 

I have seen the growth of internet and social media first-hand which has made me think and write about its possible decadence and consequences. Users can be anonymous on the online platforms and some users take this attribute to cyber bully. However, it isn’t only the individuals that misuse the online platforms; there are proliferating news sites that spread sensational news in lieu of attracting visitors and increasing traffic for profits. 

As sensational news becomes viral, it can have repercussions on the morale of investigative journalism. News portal are required to verify their sources so that the facts presented are correct and not falsified. Yet, today one can see online media sites publishing unverified news. It can lead to misinformation among the readers. As seen during the height of the pandemic, misinformation led to a stigma around the transmission of virus.

In Nepal alone there are thousands of online portals that have proliferated in the past few years. Consequently, it has become imperative for such online sites to verify their news so that readers, viewers and listeners can access correct information. As an irrefutable aspect of the human-made resources, news portals play essential role in extracting, compiling, circulating and distributing facts and information about latest events and happenings, in a national and international level. 

By prioritising distorted sensational news in hopes of becoming viral, most media are doing a disservice to the ethics of journalism. However, one remains hopeful as qualified news media today adhere to the honest and ethical practices, leading with example to the journalistic world.