Introducing newsjunkie.net
Who's behind the news? In our opinion, knowing who controls the press is as important as the news itself. Without an understanding of the character and intentions of ownership, the validity of reporting falls into question. Most news journals were locally-owned until a few decades ago when changes in media law allowed for greater concentration of ownership and less scrutiny. Before the Internet disrupted revenue models, newspapers were already under pressure to deliver stronger results for their corporate owners. “Infotainment” became a buzzword, and along with euphemisms like “soft news” and “news you can use,” it pointed towards a demotion of serious reporting in favor of shallower content. The next trend was even worse, using tactics such as inducing rage and “red-meat” to drive audience loyalty. Since the dawn of the digital age and the now-entrenched political strategies of the zero-sum game, a critique has emerged: the weaponization of the media. While we won’t c