The last decade has brought about tremendous upheaval in how Journalists, politicians and policymakers do their jobs. This is anything but fake news. These dramatic changes have come, in part, with the rise of the 24/7 news cycle. It was not that long ago when television, radio and newspapers dominated the media landscape. Politicians and their handlers sought to own the morning or the evening. Journalists would file for one platform. And the idea using social media to reach the public was still a fantasy. That is hardly the case anymore. Now those traditional media sources are in fierce competition with all-news networks, online media sources and social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. These new forms of media are not only putting more pressure on journalists to break stories and match stories under tight deadlines, but they are complicating the political and public administration process. Politicians, like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump, are also using the power of social media for their own purposes, which is creating an avenue for them to bypass the traditional media to reach out to citizens.
- Teacher: Daniel McHardie