It’s no secret that the press and journalists have been considered the watchdogs of our federal government. They are supposed to act as the bridge between our elected officials and the people, connecting us and informing the masses of the actions of those in power. The press has undoubtedly uncovered multiple notable scandals ranging from Watergate to the new IRS scandal, but are they really fullfilling this watchdog role to their best ability?
I think that the press are slowly moving further and further away from this role. Because the internet has changed the way people get their news, real accountability journalist are being forced to change the way they transport their news, how fast they get the news out, and what topics they cover. They are losing funding and are scrambling to keep readers, so of course they are going to report on things that the consumer wants to read. And sadley, these days the typical consumer would rather read about celebrity drama or gossip rather than the sometimes complex political issues that they probably need to be reading.
A large portion of our nation couldn’t even tell you who are Vice President is, so why would they want to read about political issues? They aren’t, and that’s a huge problem. This technology era we are in has people focused on fast, multi-tasking media that is personalized to fit their needs. I believe all this technology is going to dumb people down and make our country as a whole more uninformed than we ever have been before. As a country we need to find a way to get people to care more about political issues so that journalists can start being strong watchdogs again.