Reflection on Social Media Case 3: Tom Petty’s “Death” and Death
The presence of social media has
created new territory in reporting the news that media outlets are still
getting used to. Before the internet, people had to wait to read the news in
the next day’s paper or wait to listen to it on the radio or TV. Now, we have access
to information right after or sometimes as something is happening. Media sources
scramble for information so that they can be the first source with the answers.
Unfortunately, sometimes they report without all the vital information for
their story.
In 2017, Tom Petty’s death was
reported before he actually took his last breath. Many people posted tributes
in honor of his life before it was reported that he was still fighting for his
life. He passed away later that night, but it left enough time for everyone to get
really confused. You would think that a mistake like this could only happen once,
but Tom Petty is not the only person that has been accused of dying while they
were still alive. Former President Jimmy Carter was also accused
of dying at age 93 in an article written by Fox News. Both accusations were eventually corrected but
these stories still created confusion on the internet. When a tragic event
happens, people are just as eager to get more information as the news sources
are to report it. News sources often report information little by little to
give their readers or viewers answers. This approach has caused problems for reporters
or journalists in the past. False stories or “fake news” was spread way before the
internet existed. This
article lists events in history that were falsely reported before the whole
story was uncovered.
Analyzing this case study made me
realize that we, as the viewers, contribute to the spread of false reports. We
are so eager to hear what happened next that many news sources are forced to
report as much as they know just to keep us happy. I think that it’s better to
be patient and report stories after all the information is available rather
than publishing something that is potentially false. This method could prevent the
embarrassment of the new source and the confusion of their readers and viewers.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/media-was-always-bad-reporting-breaking-news-brief-history/311037/
http://buzz.blog.ajc.com/2017/11/26/fox-news-incorrectly-reports-president-jimmy-carter-has-died/
I like that you mention that we as the viewer contribute to the spread of false reports. When putting blame on the news agency that produced the report, it's also important to remember that our peers are partly responsible for the spreading of the report. We as the viewer need to do our own research in order to decide what is fact and what is not.
ReplyDeleteLibby, this is an awesome blog post! I really like that you did more research on people who have also been the victims of fake news. I had no idea about President Jimmy Carter, but I do remember rumors going around on Twitter about fake celebrity deaths. I also like that you discussed how we contribute to spreading the fake news as well. Sometimes, the fake news is so intriguing and exciting that we forget to check the sources ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Your example of Jimmy Carter was great. Similar mishap but a different time without the information access we have today.
ReplyDeleteThat was a really good post! I conpletely agree that social media is still confusing as it continues to evolve. For the mahority of users it is a place with zero accountability where we can post or say whatever we deaire, true or false. There are no regulations for false information, but hopefully these events will being these issues to light. Great post Libby, keep up the good work!
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