We can either utilize [digital] tools to uphold hierarchy and oppression as the way it is or to reflect the truth of the lived realities of oppression and use that as information to heal the world. That is the choice point as media makers.
— Collette Watson
This week on Infinite Patterns: a Kaleidoscope podcast, our host, Ty White, invited media titans Cayden Mak of Convergence Magazine and Collette Watson of Black River Life to the show. In this episode, we explore The Future of Journalism: Navigating Ethical Challenges in a Digital Age.
Put simply, how can journalists prioritize truth in a time ruled by algorithms? Can integrity keep the lights on?
Both of this week’s guests provide a critical lens through which we can examine our current media landscape, urging us to consider the ethical ramifications of our digital habits and the structures that underpin them.
Cayden Mak reminds us that “cyber surveillance and our digital presence have evolved concurrently,”, particularly in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Misinformation littered the platforms of megacompanies, angling to profit from the War on Terror. These racialized lies endanger lives and worsen the “crisis of trust” in journalism.
The megacompanies that have the leverage to shape our reality have significant financial incentives to prioritize sensational content over accurate reporting that can and does erode public discourse. Following the money leads us not toward the sci-fi doomsday that dominates the anti-AI conversation but “toward the companies that profit from ‘the real and observable harms’ done to people.”
Collette Watson adds an important layer to this conversation by addressing the historical context of journalism. We need to dig up the lie of objectivity at the root: “What we call objectivity is really just deference to a white-dominated worldview.” Objectivity requires decontextualization. It stops short of asking why. And, why is where the truth resides?
We know from the on-camera police murders of Rodney King and George Floyd that tech designed to record the pain of Black folks is not what will shift the culture of media making toward truth. We have to be about sparking new cultures in journalism. “Culture is the thing that sustains,” Collette says.
Both Mak and Watson stress the importance of media literacy as a continual process rather than a fixed destination. Mak articulates that we are “primed emotionally” by our online habits, so propagating verified information is non-negotiable. “Media literacy is not an easy thing to scale,” but that’s what we need to be experimenting to develop.
Watson has a vision for what a “reparative newsroom” could look like, one that prioritizes care and community engagement. The question she’s toggling with is “What does it look like to make this doable for people?” We deserve a media landscape that not only informs but also heals – and to not break our backs getting there.
Technology can either reinforce existing hierarchies or help dismantle them. Watson urges media creators to choose wisely: “We can either utilize [digital] tools to uphold hierarchy and oppression or to reflect the truth of the lived realities of oppression.” This critical choice point highlights the power of journalism to shape societal narratives and, ultimately, foster change.
Small media enterprises like Black River Life and Convergence Magazine are rebuffing the algorithm driven news cycle and manufactured urgency of the media landscape today by slowing down, asking thoughtful questions, and fostering genuine connections within their communities. Their parting word for journalists and other media makers? Journalism is about taking the time it takes to tell the truth.
Explore Black River Life’s website and stay updated with Convergence Magazine here.
Watch the full episode of Infinite Patterns, a Kaleidoscope podcast, on Borealis Philanthropy’s Youtube page or listen wherever you get your podcasts. This podcast is brought to you by ZEAL, a worker-owned creative arts studio alliance, and the Racial Equity in Journalism (REJ) Fund at Borealis Philanthropy.
Episode 4 of Infinite Patterns will air on October 16, 2024!