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What changes need to be made to political journalism to better serve the needs of democratic societies?

Johnie MacCallester

Political journalism plays a crucial role in democratic societies, as it serves as the fourth estate. It is responsible for informing the public of the latest political developments, holding elected officials accountable, and helping the electorate make informed decisions. However, as we enter the digital age, political journalism must change to continue serving the needs of democratic societies adequately. Here are a few changes that need to be made:

1. Emphasize on substance over sensationalism

In this era of clickbait journalism and social media, political journalism has become increasingly focused on stories that drive traffic over informative news. This trend provides sensationalized snippets of information rather than the bigger picture, which can be detrimental to democracies that rely on informed citizens.

Political journalists need to refocus their efforts on substantive reporting by investing time and energy into comprehensive investigations. Such articles can help people make informed decisions, which is essential in democratic societies.

2. Prioritize fact-checking

Disinformation, fake news, and propaganda are growing threats to democratic societies, and political journalists must fight to counter them. For this reason, journalism needs to prioritize fact-checking and filter unreliable sources to ensure the dissemination of only accurate information.

Political journalists should also develop checklists to verify the accuracy of their sources before publication.

3. Increase engagement with citizens

A robust relationship and engagement with citizens is essential for political journalists. By doing so, journalists can create content that is responsive to the public's concerns.

Political journalists should use digital tools such as social media to engage with citizens and encourage them to provide feedback. Through open forums, debates, and roundtable discussions, journalists can also provide citizens with a voice and keep them informed.

4. Diversify Coverage

While political journalism is crucial, underrepresented communities often receive less coverage. As a result, political journalism needs to diversify its coverage.

Journalists should prioritize covering underrepresented communities to provide a comprehensive view of all opinions, challenges, and opportunities facing a democratic society.

5. Support investigative journalism

Political investigative journalism has helped to uncover corruption, expose wrongdoing, and hold governments accountable around the world. However, it is frequently underfunded and ignored in favor of cheaper alternatives.

Democratic societies need a strong investigative press to hold politicians accountable. Therefore, financial and institutional support is essential to sustainable investigative journalism.

In conclusion, political journalism has an enormous responsibility to provide comprehensive information on political developments to its citizens. For it to continue serving that need adequately, changes such as prioritising substance over sensationalism, increasing fact-checking, engaging citizens, diversifying coverage and supporting investigative journalism, must be made. By prioritizing these changes, political journalism can move forward, benefiting and strengthening democratic societies for generations to come.