story #52

http://allafrica.com/stories/201702070004.html

#52"Africa: How the Poisonous Side of Social Media is Killing the Newspaper"

Social media unlike the printed newspaper has a liberal side to it that is very poisonous. While the newspaper has several gate keepers who are fully aware of the legal, moral, financial and social implications of inaccurate news, social media has a free for all aspect that allows irresponsibility to take centre stage. A person may hide under a pseudonym and say what comes to their mind. Post pictures that encroach on the privacy, of others, use obscene words without fear of reprimand. Yet in the newspaper your byline is your credibility and your word is your bond. Because newspapers, for reasons mentioned above are bound to strive to be accurate, social media becomes a refugee for many. Here they find people ready to feed them with hard luck stories to satisfy their demand.