Informed Citizenry By Danah Boyd: Article Analysis

Journalism is one of the four categories of mass media (Neher, Sandin, 2007, p. 201). It is the most ethical form of mass media globally. In Danah Boyd’s article titled “The Ethics of Fear and how it Undermines an Informed Citizenry”, she makes the point of utilizing fear as a motivator (Boyd, 2012). She states that fear is a powerful emotion and when people are afraid, they react. When people have a vested interest in motivating other people to react, they may try to capture their attention through fear (Boyd, 2012). News networks stoke this fear so the reaction elicited is increased viewership. Many people accept that the cost of real-time, nonstop access to information is an evolving narrative of events and utilization of fear in order to maintain attention, but they do not accept that the truth may be a casualty of this process. Interestingly, when it comes to ethics, most people become

There is less time for additional research, confident fact checking, editing and authentication. Fewer people are employed with the skill set and experience needed to maintain editorial standards (The Free Library, 2014). The scope for mistakes is widening, particularly as web content and social media become increasingly important as sources of news and information. All of these pressures on media undermine quality journalism by making it increasingly difficult for writers, broadcasters and editors. They have less time to apply good principles of professionalism and self-regulation. This brings into question the utilization of the model for ethical decision making in mass communication presented in our text. The four different steps: definition, values, ethical principles, and loyalties are now condensed and potentially compromised (Neher, Sandin, 2007, p.