BBC and the supposed mainstream
Trust is an issue in all news, but perhaps more so in the online world. When it comes to the viewers reliance on facts, on the internet this manifests itself in brand names- mostly from mainstream media that have crossed over to the new medium. This is a natural progression of course, built up over years of trusted service. There has been, of course, new ‘brands’ that have come into being solely online such as the Drudge Report and must build trust on the new medium.
Moving on to this supposed mainstream, I have chosen to discuss the BBC as a representative of this crossover of trust from traditional media to new media. What is obvious from the site is their dedication to impartiality that has been a mainstay of the corporation before the internet was even invented. Human interest stories- showing the personal aspect of such things as war is a hallmark of trying to give the full picture and how it has affected the people involved. This features heavily on the site. Also, its high priority use of hyper links gives context and background to complex stories.
Of course, the assumed hierarchial nature of this supposed mainstream is not exactly a healthy one in terms of hearing all sides of a story. The fact remains though that public trust in news always sways towards the mainstream- as news works on a basic level of trust- not on opinions, agendas or anything else that could be thrown at the alternative media online.
