Failure Conditions in Alternative Media: What They Are and How to Spot Them

In today’s ever-evolving information landscape, media platforms, both legacy (traditional or mainstream outlets like newspapers, TV, radio, etc.) and alternative (independent websites, social media influencers, unconventional news platforms, etc), wield unprecedented influence in shaping public opinion. Within this media ecosystem, gaining familiarity with the inherent “failure conditions” of each media type is becoming increasingly important. For the reader unfamiliar with the term, a failure condition is a characteristic that can undermine the credibility and reliability of a media source, thereby affecting the quality and objectivity of the information it disseminates.

Presuming a general understanding of legacy media’s pitfalls by most media consumers, in this essay, the author, writing on such a platform as that presently under analysis, spotlights the key failure conditions specific to the less-explored realm of alternative media. However, before we examine the alternative media landscape, let’s first, for balance, recap the main shortcomings of the legacy media.

Legacy Media:

1: Biased Reporting: Traditional media outlets have faced criticism for bias, often rooted in political or corporate affiliations. An example is The Sun newspaper, known for…