Showing posts with label media literacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media literacy. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

A Decade of Apple News

 


Apple News was launched in 2015. It was a replacement for Newsstand which lasted as iOS application for 14 years. The application is an aggregator, which collects news from various sources. The aggregator is designed to help a use get their news in one place. The user of the application gets to select their sources, however algorithms are going to favor establishment media. Bias and polarization are becoming large problems in reporting. Apple did face a scandal in 2025, when artificial intelligence was used for news summaries. Apple's AI was creating false headlines. Apple then disabled the AI feature and began working on updates to fix the issue. False information or fake news was a problem before the 2010s. Establishment media either made incorrect statements or distorted particular events. Some critics argue that the public should obtain enough media literacy. Even the most knowledgeable and educated people can still be manipulated by the media. The older generation might be more susceptible seeing as they are not as familiar with various apps. AI is going to be used more in aggregators. Trying to determine truth or mendacious claims become more complicated. Combined with Google's dominance as a search engine, information is becoming more controlled. Apple News still provides newspapers in digital format such as the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. Many independent media related materials would not be on Apple News. At some stage Apple News could be completely run and managed by AI. Assuming it adapts, Apple News also could be retired in favor of a completely different application.   

Friday, August 22, 2025

MSNBC Seeks Rebranding

 


MSNBC will change its name in an effort to rebrand the cable news channel. The new name of the channel will be called MS NOW. This stands for my source, news, opinion, and world. MSNBC has been struggling with ratings over the past few years. The failure to adapt is the primary reason. Many viewers are going to alternative or independent media sources. Social media, websites, and video sharing platforms are now major sources of news. The rebranding will not be effective unless changes are made. Corporate media seeks to uphold a certain narrative, which does not present political or social realities. Media bias can be present in any source, but MSNBC was more blatant with its coverage. the channel favors a political centrist and corporate Democrat perspective. The majority of the audience it appeals to is the baby boomer demographic. That generation does not represent the majority of the public. The channel focuses too much on domestic news, while international affairs are ignored. Biased reporting related to Israel and Ukraine becomes more obvious as conditions change rapidly. To an extent coverage of the Trump administration keeps the channel going. Other cable news networks have followed this model and it is not sustainable. The failure to update to the new era of digital media demonstrates how out of touch cable news channels are. Renaming the channel seems like they want viewers to think they are getting something different. Many viewers see MSNBC as an official press organization for the Democratic Party. Considering viewers want actual information and not political party press releases, ratings declined. The MS NOW transformation is not enough to fix the cable news network.