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Platforms Like Whaleshares Have the Potential to be the New Fourth Estate

freedomexistsPosted for Everyone to comment on, 5 years ago3 min read

Journalism has traditionally been considered the ‘fourth estate’, in that it is often cynically viewed as the fourth branch of government after the exectutive, legislature and judiciary. It has been argued that journalism is an integral part of a healthy functioning democracy and that journalists are crusaders of truth and justice who expose wrongdoing. Classic liberal theory, as emphasised by Siebert et al, stipulates that the objective of the media is to uncover the truth and help with social, political and other societal issues by animating all the known evidence. In this context the media is supposed to be a safeguard for the masses, it should be a pioneer of free expression, resisting oppression and exposing corruption - particularly political corruption. However, this view is simplistic and does not give us the whole story by any means. After all we live in the age of fake news.

We all know how cynical the news media can be. We know how they can manipulate facts and engineer fiction. We know they have an agenda and that agenda is quite often not a healthy one. However, thankfully someone decided to gives us the internet, then social media came along and then we were given something even better - a unique and uniting, empowering and truth advancing platform called Whaleshares. This is no overestimation. I believe that Whaleshares has the capability to navigate around and circumvent all of the lies and disinformation we are offered in the mainstream news media. I would place more emphasis on Steemit at this point, but unfortunately after their latest hard fork it now means a post can be edited and amended permanently, posts don't lock you out anymore and that is a big dent to veracity. Sadly Steemit is now less reliable when it comes to evidence.

There are economic and political forces which influence the power of the media and morality is often a last consideration when it comes to journalistic practices. Platforms like Whaleshares and Steemit does not have these considerations to worry about. Whaleshares has the ability to be a platform that deals if not entirely then virtually entirely in truths and only truths. In fact add in the reward system that Whaleshares provides us with and we are given the ultimate incentive to ensure our content is original and honest. Now which news outlet can you point to that truly incentivises honest content? Not many that's for sure.

The news media is a very powerful and versatile carrier of information, that is capable of manipulation. It therefore should always be treated with both curiosity and caution. On Whaleshares we can all be journalists if we want. So let's make sure our journalistic integrity is mightier than any that has been before. Together we can really show the world how reporting and delivering information does not need to be contaminated by commercial and proprietor interests, and pre-disposed to unhealthy motives.

Let's make Whaleshares the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

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