Speculation Journalism is a Waste of Your Time

The health of good journalism in this country has been declining for years. 

The process has been sped up since Trump's emergence into politics.

Americans are at a place where they don't know what's true and what's not in the news. Credibility is strained when publications like the New York Post report lies and lurid stories speculating on conspiracies.

The stories I find the most offensive offer speculations based on lies and misinformation. "Is Big Foot bathing in your pool at night while you're sleeping?"

Speculative or opinion?

"The thrice-indicted, twice-impeached, once defeated, politically toxic Republican standard-bearer has a real shot at the presidency," according to Rich Lowry for Politico magazine.

Really? 

The writer came up with all of these terrible scenarios for what? What was the purpose? To scare readers? Titillate them perhaps? To take advantage of peoples fear that Trump will return to The White House?

Speculation journalism is a low form of communicating in my opinion. The only research being done by this type of writing is being conducted in an alternative universe with dubious sources.

Considered by some as a narrative technique, speculation journalism is said to help audiences think about the future in more concrete terms. But critics question if integrating fiction into journalism is responsible.

Caution. There is a difference between speculation and opinion. The line between them can be thin.

From Quality Journalism to Speculative Journalism - by Josep Lluis Gomez Mompart

The author explains, "Even though the new generations of journalists are better trained and more prepared by studying specifically at universities, they are finding fewer and fewer veterans in newspaper offices.

Veterans can guide the newcomers in critical, rigorous and important journalism, showing themselves to be a model of conduct, with high professional standards and independent, not servile, attitudes towards the public and private powers."

Without the guidance of veterans, our quality of journalism has been withering away. It's only one critical component in the deterioration of the profession, but a vital one. 

The serious newspapers have been dumbing down to produce a sort of journalism that trivializes reality. The result? Tabloidism and sensationalism have become the cancer of the modern press.

As it stands, the spread of the digital press via Internet doubles down on speculation, rumors, and misinformation. Viewer beware.