When governments, corporations, and powerful people operate in the shadows, who holds the flashlight? In a world saturated with carefully crafted propaganda and instant misinformation, independent journalism is here to root out the truth. With the rise of social media as the avenue for news in the public space, why does journalism matter? Do we need traditional legacy media institutions when we have social media platforms? Plenty of Americans would argue that as an institution, the news media can’t be trusted at all. Let’s break down this issue shall we?

Independent journalism stands as a critical, non-governmental mechanism for people around the globe to be informed of current events. The media in a democratic society like ours has traditionally operated outside of the direct control of the government, serving as an autonomous pipeline of information that bypasses official narratives and potential propaganda. This independence is essential as governments, transnational corporations, and powerful individuals inherently possess vast resources and motivations to control or spin information to their advantage. Journalists act as important intermediaries investigating events, synthesizing data, seeking input from outside experts, and presenting verified facts that allow the public at large to make informed opinions, regardless of what the established powers prefer as the official narrative. 

The “free press” earns this name as they are not subject to direct government or corporate control and this enables them to fulfill their most important role in a democratic society: holding power accountable. In America, our free press isn’t perfectly objective — no human endeavor is — but despite its imperfections, it is dedicated to accuracy and fairness. The institutional commitment to fair and objective accountability of power allows the press to serve as a watchdog for the public. Journalists scrutinize budgets, investigate corruption, reveal human rights abuses, and fact-check public statements to shine a light on the truth a powerful figure or organization wants to keep hidden from the public. As such, this function of accountability is NOT about tearing down institutions but ensuring they operate ethically and in the public interest. Without an independent press seeking to verify claims and document wrongdoing, any consequences of misbehavior — from minor policy failures to global crises — would go largely unrecorded and unpunished, completely undermining our foundations as a civil society. 

So what are the core differences between professional news and social media posts? The crucial difference can be summed up in two words: verification and accountability. Social media, regardless of the specific app used or form taken, shares a common trait amongst itself, it is fast and widely accessible, lacks accountability, and primarily serves as a means of sharing, often motivated by emotion and reinforced by algorithmic bias. In contrast, professional journalism operates under a code of ethics that mandates accuracy, impartiality, and the careful vetting of sources before publication. As journalists, our commitment to ethical standards for our profession includes being transparent about corrections and this leads to a structured process designed to achieve factual integrity. While social media can rapidly spread rumors and unverified information that polarize public discourse, ethical journalism aims to establish facts, provide context, and ultimately foster the public discourse that is necessary for a functioning democracy. 

In the case of social media, there is no verification or accountability. Anyone can say anything, use AI or other editing tools to make convincing photos or video evidence, and do so anonymously without the opportunity for accountability if the information given is false. Professional journalists and the institutions they work for proudly attach their name and reputation to their work. A person who feels unjustly treated in a news story can contact the publisher and journalist to request a correction or even sue for defamation among other possible remedies. Journalism institutions, public or private, have rigorous editorial standards as they can be held liable for false reporting or relying on untrustworthy sources. This liability doesn’t always take the form of legal or civil court challenges but also in reputational damage and loss of business from readership or advertisers. Within the social media ecosystem, there is no such accountability or remedy for correction. Thus lies the danger of news reporting via unverified social media accounts and outlets. 

We can look to history, 1930s-1940s Germany, as an example of what happens when the press isn’t independent. In the early days of Nazi power, the Propaganda Ministry, through its proxy the Reich Press Chamber, took control of the Reich Association of the German Press, which was the guild that governed the entry requirements for the profession. Through various laws, the association began to keep records of “racially pure” editors and journalists at the same time, excluding Jews and their associates from journalism altogether. Over the next few years, the independence of the press was whittled away to nothing. The regime required all the press to ensure that any information “calculated to weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home” was left out of any coverage. We see this cycle starting again as removing the autonomous freedom of the press and requiring them to adhere to government-approved talking points is a trend of authoritarian regimes, even to this day. 

Since taking office on Jan. 21, 2025, President Trump has issued several Executive Orders targeting traditional independent journalism, aimed at restricting the access of the press that disagree with his policies and reducing the variety of viewpoints presented by a broad spectrum of press outlets. It is important that we, as a free democratic society, maintain our resolve to stand up for a free press and not succumb to the narrative presented by the powerful. 

So, why does journalism matter? Ultimately, the value of independent journalism lies not in achieving perfect objectivity, but in its relentless commitment to rigorous verification and accountability. By adhering to core ethical standards, professional news organizations offer a structured and essential alternative to the chaos of the digital sphere. Sustaining this critical bastion of accountability and transparency is paramount as it remains the best mechanism for combating misinformation and holding power accountable to the public. 

Braxton Kehr is a senior reporter for the NWACC Eagle View.