It is not new for the media to use incorrect information and inappropriate interpretations. However, modern media also often use deliberately fictional narratives in addition to intentional distortion. The aim behind this is to profit from a more scandalous event description, which is more popular among the media audience. Yet, it should be understood that while the tabloid journalism phenomenon has been known for a long time, its main goals are different from today’s large fake media influence sources (Mourão & Robertson, 2019). In the past, false and fictional stories brought small but frequent profits to their authors and rights holders. Modern media often get a great amount of money at the expense of their lobbyists, including political ones.
By distorting information, modern media make the mistake of using inefficient systems based on lies and disinformation. Looking at many modern news resources and communities in social networks, one can easily determine for whom and why their authors distort information (Hemsley et al., 2018). It is also worth considering definite political and social agendas in movies and video games. Taking a critical look at these parts of the media space, it is easy to understand that deliberate distortion of reality is not only present in the media but also flourishes in them. The purpose of this is almost always to receive both material and public encouragement from the audience, bosses, or lobbyists, on which the authors rely in their work. It is a mistake for the media, given all of the above, to focus on the short-term success of their enterprise. In the long term, both authors and many patrons of these authors will find themselves in an environment of social condemnation and mistrust, which is critical for people involved in the work of media resources.
Given the above-described reality of lobbying in the media in the interests of influential communities, one should pay attention to the nature of these information sources. It is essential to mention the need to perceive modern media as a collection of profitable businesses instead of humble news providers and entertainment content makers (Surette, 2014). This look is necessary for rational regard of the content consumed and protection of the institutions of freedom of speech—otherwise, all media would use manipulation and deceit. Thus, the media audience should be critical and cautious about the information and content received in news and other resources.
References
Mourão, R. R., & Robertson, C. T. (2019). Fake news as discursive integration: An analysis of sites that publish false, misleading, hyperpartisan and sensational information. Journalism Studies, 20(14), 2077–2095. Web.
Hemsley, J., Jacobson, J., Gruzd, A., & Mai, P. (2018). Social media for social good or evil: An introduction. Social Media + Society, 4(3), 1-5. Web.
Surette, R. (2014). Media, crime, and criminal justice (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.