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Media helped create the crisis it finds itself in
I think it’s fair to say the whole media sector is in crisis. Media organizations and journalists are hurting, and have been hurting for a very long time. There are obviously many, many reasons for that, most of them outside of media organizations’ control.
But not all.
There are three aspects of this hurt that I want to focus on: money, eyeballs, and trust. I don’t think it’s controversial to say journalism cannot thrive without these three.
The point I want to make to you today is this:
Media organizations have materially helped create the crisis they currently find themselves in, by being uncritical and naïve about the tech sector and power dynamics of its products and services.
Unchecked power
I don’t think I need to convince anyone in this room that tech sector’s power is currently not checked in any meaningful way.
Heads of state wait hat in hand on its leaders, legislation is being shaped by its interests to the detriment of everything else, regulatory action takes years if not decades, and usually ends up with a slap on the wrist.