In recent years, more and more news organizations have created quick reads, glossing over major topics in short paragraphs and covering trivial matters.
The increase in this type of journalism contributes to shorter attention spans for teenagers and little understanding of the complexity of important events.
Among the worst purveyors of this kind of content is BuzzFeed, a common news source for teenagers.
The website was founded in 2006 and offers headlines such as “Trump says he’s up for a trade war. So are America’s Allies” mixed with “Which Taylor Swift album matches your personality best?”
The truth is, BuzzFeed is not even a true news organization. In its description, it call itself a “digital media company.”
The problem is that it provides a couple of stories that seem like legitimate news, but also mixes it in random surveys that claim to be able to “reveal your emotional age” to keep teenagers’ short attention spans engaged.
And it works extremely well. BuzzFeed has adapted to shorter attention spans by providing miniature quizzes that reveal something ridiculous, but inadvertently created a chasm between real news and teenagers.
The additional problem with this kind of journalism is that it leads teens to be unable to differentiate between fluff and real news. News organizations should provide accurate and reliable stories, but as viewers and readers we need to advocate for worthwhile content and not settle for the junk that is too often spoonfed to us.
Reliable news organizations are still out there; we just have to choose them. Local newspapers such as the San Jose Mercury provide legitimate and truthful stories that are easy to access and go into detail on various events such as Tesla cars catching on fire or Trump signing a $1.3 billion budget. Digging further, teens can find a variety of legitimate sources, such as the New York Times or the Washington Post, that focus on a multitude of subjects. These newspapers are well worth the cost as they give teens insight on what is truly happening in the world.
It is time to leave the BuzzFeeds of world in the dustbin, and patronize news organization that provide a meaningful outlook on issues in the world.