"Earlier this week, I detailed how journalism lost its ability to set the terms of public reality—dismantled not by its own failures, but by algorithmic systems that reward emotional intensity over accuracy and affirmation over verification. Editorial judgment, imperfect yet guided by civic purpose, has been replaced by engagement-optimized algorithms. The result is fragmentation severe enough to undermine shared reality itself—or worse, to convince us objective truth no longer exists."
"Calling this a post-news era, as Axios founder Jim VandeHei has, matters only if it leads to reform rather than resignation. Improving clarity and speed inside a broken system may help people cope—and, incidentally, flatter Axios' editorial mission—but it does not repair the system that broke reality in the first place. The problem is not how to make journalism trend again. It is how to rebuild an information environment where shared reality can exist at all."
An information system collapse in 2025 destroyed the shared reality necessary for democratic discourse, leaving journalism as collateral damage. Algorithmic systems prioritize emotional intensity and affirmation over accuracy and verification, replacing civic-guided editorial judgment with engagement-optimized ranking. This fragmentation risks convincing people that objective truth no longer exists and turns politics into battles over reality. Reforms should stop equating algorithmic amplification with free speech, drawing a firm boundary between hosting expression and engineering viral reach. Platforms may host content but should not assume a right to force massive distribution; rebuilding requires policies that limit amplification and restore shared factual ground.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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