Abstract
While there is an avalanche of studies exploring the issues surrounding disinformation online, interest in the quality of news and information online remains relatively obscured, its positive characteristics buried beneath the relentless onslaught of negativity. Enter News Quality in the Digital Age, which gathers a brilliant collection of scholars and is expertly co-edited by Regina Lawrence—Research Director of the Agora Journalism Center and Professor at the University of Oregon—and Philip Napoli—the James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. This book offers a much-needed and nuanced discussion about how to define and measure news quality. It explores the factors that encompass the production, dissemination, and consumption of quality news. Across the 13 chapters, an array of methodological approaches unfolds in the study of news quality, yet they underscore the significance and difficulty in converting the abstract idea of news quality into a tangible and actionable reality.
At the heart of this book lies a critical examination of platforms and their influence cultivating a well-informed citizenry. It tackles the notion of news quality from a variety of topical angles—spanning from the “attention marketplace” of social media to incivility in online comments to the influences of algorithms. Yet, amid this diverse chapter-by-chapter exploration, the book keeps a focus on the importance of distinguishing the “news that facilities that democratic process from the news that undermines it” (p. 6). As it draws to a close, the book engages with deep analysis and discussion of the role of public policy in increasing the relevance and reach of quality news.
In the introduction, the co-editors establish the foundation for understanding news quality from three pivotal perspectives: (a) analyzing the measurable elements of content, such as the Critical Information Needs set by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States; (b) delving into the demands of the audience and understanding what news consumers want from news; and (c) examining the information infrastructure (the media outlets, platforms, etc.) that enable (or constrain) public knowledge and civic engagement. Crucially, the co-editors rightly caution those in the academy against assuming the role of sole arbiters in defining news quality. “Determining news quality is not limited to its actual content. Public perception also matters,” the co-editors write. “If news that research unanimously agreed was of high quality was seen as low quality by consumers, that would raise questions about who scholarly measures of quality are for” (p. 8). The audience-focused chapters highlight this vital aspect, serving as a strength to this book.
In Chapter 3, Jieun Shin argues that “social media algorithms and metrics are not designed to favor high-quality journalistic content” (p. 41). In short, social media is structured to reward popular content rather than prioritizing quality content. This significantly influences how audience members consume news and, equally important, further disseminate news throughout the digital landscape. As the co-editors note, the “audience demand may powerfully shape what gets produced for digital media and shared via social media, and not necessarily in ways that align with the democratic notions of high-quality news” (p. 8).
Chapter 4 highlights the insightful exploration by Emily Vraga and Stephanie Edgerly, who conduct an experiment to investigate how people determine whether an online story qualifies as “news,” utilizing the concept of “news-ness.” Interestingly, their experiment found that content viewed on the Associated Press’s website is seen as higher in “news-ness” than the same content viewed posted by the AP to Twitter. In Chapter 5, Shuning Lu, Hia Liang, and Gina Masullo experimentally demonstrate that audience members’ perceptions of news quality are negatively impacted by uncivil comments online. As the authors note, “this implies that user comments serve as heuristic cues for people to judge journalistic content” (p. 77).
The demand for a concrete definition of news quality resonates powerfully within regulatory and policy discussions. However, it is precisely in this domain that key stakeholders often shy away from offering clear parameters for news quality. As Napoli and Asa Royal highlight in Chapter 12, “if a healthy news and information ecosystem is something that we consider within the purview of policymakers’ concerns, then news quality is a concept that may then become a central component of media policymaking” (p. 187). Yet, the chapter’s co-authors find in analysis of policy discussions in the United States, England, and Australia, there is a prevailing trend “amongst policymakers to shy away from directly engaging with the issue of news quality; even when concerns about news quality represent an explicitly articulated area of policy concern” (198). This highlights the hesitancy of policymakers to confront the complexities of news quality more assertively. In the chapter’s final paragraph, the co-authors issue a compelling call for further action from policymakers. They urge, “given the perilous state of journalism in so many countries—and thus, by association, the more perilous state of democracy—the time would be right for policymakers to press forward rather than pull back” (p. 199).
This well-crafted manuscript aligns with significant research on vital topics such as disinformation, the interplay between platforms and publishers, and the traditional concept of objectivity in news. By prioritizing news quality over its darker aspects, the book offers a fresh perspective and potential solutions to the prevalent “infodemic” in our society (Simon & Camargo, 2023). This book also makes vital contributions to the overall conversation about the relationship between platforms and publishers. Ever present in the background of this book is the consideration of the “platformatization of news” and the overarching impact platforms exert on news creation, distribution, and consumption (Pickard, 2020; Toff & Mathews, 2021; Van Dijck, 2013). The co-editors assert that platforms must “embrace their roles as arbiters of quality news” (p. 204). Finally, this book’s conclusion raises a crucial question about how news quality aligns with traditional journalistic qualities of “both sides” reporting, which can be at odds with audience-focused journalism aiming to engage and build trust with readers (Wenzel, 2020). In short, this book boasts a bounty of rich work that cannot be fully encapsulated here. It is essential reading for students, scholars, journalists, and policymakers invested in news quality, journalism’s future, and overall democratic vitality.
