In a world of information overload, where narratives compete and disinformation saturates, the role of journalists has never been more crucial, says Al Jazeera producer and reporter Nicholas Muirhead.
Joining a Northwestern Qatar class to discuss the world of political communication, Muirhead spoke about his report on a journalistic investigation in South Africa that uncovered how a powerful business with close links to the ruling government employed a public relations firm to disseminate messages that shaped public opinion on issues of corruption in the country.
The now-defunct, London-based PR firm flooded social media with racially divisive slogans and narratives that aligned with the business’s plan to divide South Africans. In a domino effect, the messages were amplified by media organizations owned by the business, which changed the discourse in the country from how corrupt the family-owned business was to how South Africans were allegedly being disenfranchised by the continued economic dominance of white people in post-apartheid South Africa.
“The problem is that unscrupulous players in politics and business often seem to have the strongest PR and slogans, and that messaging can often obfuscate – or even overpower - the truth.”
“The problem is that unscrupulous players in politics and business often seem to have the strongest PR and slogans, and that messaging can often obfuscate – or even overpower - the truth,” Muirhead told the students.
He added that, in the age of surplus information, the world is in dire need of autonomous journalists who can “read between the lines” to unravel misleading narratives, fight fake news and propaganda, and to draw the line between journalism and PR.
Among the many challenges that will shape the future of journalism, Muirhead noted, is ensuring the independence of journalists in light of the financial challenges facing media organizations around the world.
“The [digital age] could very well be the golden age of journalism, but it might not be the golden era for journalists,” Muirhead argued, as the responsibility to expose the ever-increasing amounts of disinformation grows for journalists while their budgets and funding shrinks.
Muirhead pointed to the importance of digital literacy and educating consumers to think objectively and critically about the information they read, as “the amount of fake news, misleading and agenda-driven content out there is more now than ever before.” He also stressed the need to fund institutions like the media that will act as information gatekeepers and safeguard democracy.
The session – Hacks & Spin: Which Sources To Trust? – was part of a Northwestern Qatar course on journalism in the digital world by Professors Marcela F Pizarro and Eddy Borges-Rey. The course explores the impact of digital technology on the evolution of journalism and the tests facing the field's fundamentals.
