BuzzFeed.News Killed Themselves
BuzzFeed News's lack of standards, doomed the website.
A lot of digital news sites are, for lack of a better word, dying. BuzzFeed News, which was once a leader, is shutting down. Vice is closing Vice News Tonight and Gawker went out of business.
So, yeah, not the best of times for digital press.
The reason these sites are shutting down is that they are no longer seen as valuable for readers to spend their time. Digital news sites played a role in shaping public opinion, and digital press outlets like Buzzfeed have become an essential source of news for many people. However, the rise of fake news as well as bias in media has eroded trust in media and without a set of standards, this only gets worse.
This is an opinion piece, and in my opinion, digital press outlets must have a single set of standards and apply them equally. Equally to issues they like, issues they dislike, issues they believe, as well as issues they don't. If they do not, like BuzzFeed.News, they will be killing themselves.
STANDARDS REDUCE BIAS
One of the most significant problems with modern media is the presence of bias, and Standards reduce bias. By establishing a set of standards, digital press outlets like Buzzfeed could have reduced bias and produced content fairly and accurately.
With a single set of standards, digital press outlets like Buzzfeed can be more transparent about how they choose their stories, who their sources are, and how they verify their information. Standards increase transparency, and This transparency builds trust.
STANDARDS BUILD CREDIBILITY
Standards build credibility, and in n a world where there is a lot of misinformation and fake news, credibility is crucial. By establishing a set of standards and applying them equally to all content, digital press outlets like Buzzfeed could have built their credibility with the audience and become a trusted source of information.
Digital press websites need to have a single set of standards and apply them equally to all content. Here at OnTheDaily, we are constantly developing our own standards. Standards reduce bias, increase transparency, promote accountability, ensure ethical reporting, and build credibility. Sites that apply standards will be seen as reliable, accurate, and trustworthy. Sites that don't will end up like Gawker and BuzzfeedNews.
