The evolution of writing and the process of replicating documents gave rise to a new need: the organization for communicating facts between people in a society. The press, as it is known today, is the result of this process. It is the combination of tools and communication vehicles responsible for producing journalism – initially providing printed newspapers, and with the evolution of technology, transferring this communication to formats such as radio, television and the Internet.
The main objective of the press is to serve society as an information agent. It must act as the eyes and ears of the population and be able to gather data, verify information and check everything that has been researched, and only then distribute this information to the population. The commitment to making public information that often impacts people's lives is what gives credibility to the work of journalists and communicators.
And, although one of the fundamental requirements for the press to latvia mobile database fulfill its role of conveying information as correctly as possible is careful investigation – especially after the period of accelerated globalization – what we observe is a lack of control over the dissemination of fake news and sensationalist headlines that aim to contribute to the interests of specific groups.
With the internet came the ease of reporting facts in real time, but this news is not always verified or contains reliable information. This avalanche of “instant communicators” has meant that journalism has faced – and still faces – difficulties in combating lies, fake news and, more recently, denialism.
This is the case, for example, with what happened during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Every day, journalists around the world fought to investigate and obtain accurate information with the aim of discrediting fake news and helping to save the lives of thousands of people. Meanwhile, several sensationalist media outlets reported false information about the disease, such as ineffective treatments and omission of the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus.
The essence of journalism has been changing over the years. As the speed at which facts are reported increases, the concern is no longer with the “scoop”, but with the quality of investigation and data collection that allows the public to better understand the context of the facts. Thus, journalism’s role is to ensure that people have the possibility of taking action based on the knowledge that is made available to them. A population that is well informed and educated is unlikely to be manipulated, and for this to happen, society needs a free and uncorrupted press.