Pretty sure that news companies aren’t selling news to people but rather advertising exposure to other companies. Readers are the product. A paper that relied on its readers for income would behave differently from one who relies on advertisements.
Keeping the reader well-informed vs fabricating outrage to drive engagement…
That's a pretty on-point description, from a journalist at the local level. Ad revenue is where it's at, also why Nielsen ratings were so important for TV stations, and why they steer you toward their websites, rather than keeping it on social media. I'd say some still want to keep you informed, but more about keeping you informed within their narrative, at least among the big stations.
They would still fabricate outrage to drive engagement. People love having their biases "confirmed". Building echo chambers is the most effective way to keep a loyal readership.
The average person doesn't want to be well-informed, they want to be "proven right".
Someone said to me once that if you can’t tell what they’re selling on a website it means you’re the product. social media like Facebook or instagram etc especially. They want your data. clicks and traffic
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u/dscDropper Jul 12 '24
Pretty sure that news companies aren’t selling news to people but rather advertising exposure to other companies. Readers are the product. A paper that relied on its readers for income would behave differently from one who relies on advertisements.
Keeping the reader well-informed vs fabricating outrage to drive engagement…