‘Should Redddit Be Blamed for the Spreading of Smear?’ is an informative article on the
origins/history of Reddit, as well as a caveat regarding Reddit’s exponentially
growing power. Written by Jay Caspian Kang, the article appeared on July 31st
2013 in the Sunday edition of The New York Times under the caption “Crowd
Sourcing a Smear.” The article provides a balanced and trustworthy reflection
of Reddit. However, readers should still be cautious of how the emerging
dichotomy in traditional news and 24-hour news of assertion is represented by
The New York times- a more traditional news medium.
Kang, the
author of the article, has an experienced background that adds value to the
dilemma being addressed. He grew up in Boston and Chapel Hill before graduating
from Bowdin College (2). From there he attended Columbia University (4), where
he received a Masters of Fine Arts Degree. Kang is an embellished writer that
has received the 2003 Sinkinson Prize for Best Short Story, founded ritalin
magazine (3), and gained valuable experience by writing for Wired, The Morning
News, Deadspin, The Awl, and The Antlantic.com (3). Currently, he works as an
editor for Gratland. Kang’s high involvement also indicates that he is not a
new writer worried about building his résumé, rather he is at the point in his
career where he can take risks and really channel his inner opinions.
Additionally, because the article was written in July, over 3 months after the
bombings, there really wasn’t any time constraint or pressure. This further
reinforces the goal of the article being to provide a new and balanced
perspective on Reddit’s increasing power and role in the aftermath of the
bombings.
While
Kang’s experience verifies his article, his position as a journalist possibly
ads a bias to the tone of his argument. In the past, traditional news consisted
of journalism of verification. This type of journalism was primarily concerned
with reporting accurate and unbiased facts. However, with the emergence of the 24-hour
news cycle, traditional news is becoming increasingly uprooted. The new 24-hour
news cycle pressures journalists and even citizens to announce news, even
before fact checking. The misidentification of Sunil Tripathi was a direct
consequence of societies willingness to accept unchecked facts and pressure for
quick information. As a business being largely replaced, it is difficult for a
traditional journalist to essentially report on journalism of assertion. Although
this bias is most likely unconsciously present, Kang does a good job highlighting
the benefits of Reddit’s role in news these days as well. He points out the
significant role that Reddit played in the Colorado theatre massacre, where
Redditers were some of the first people to provide coverage, even offering
correct and specific statistics regarding injuries/fatalities.
Kang’s
article has even been evaluated by other redditers in the form of comments and
questionaires on Reddit. This provides some indication of how accepted Kang’s
claims are. Opinions seemed to be mixed. One Redditer commented, “You wrote a
great piece, Jay.” However, others were more defensive. Alex Angel said, “I
just don’t understand why the blame was put on us and not on the outlets that
did shoddy reporting”(1). These contradictory opinions are natural as people come
to terms rapidly changing role of Reddit.
In brief,
although there appears to be a conflict of interest, the article provided an
accurate and balanced perspective of Reddit that should be trusted by readers.
Work Cited:
1. Reddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j3q0b/i_am_jay_caspian_kang_author_of_the_recent_nyt/
(accessed 11/30/13)
2. Huffington Post, The Book We're
Talking About: 'The Dead Do Not Improve' By Jay Caspian Kang, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/dead-do-not-improve_n_1747545.html
3. Y. Peter Kang, August Issue: Jay
Caspian Kang Explores Korean American Male Anger in New Novel, KoreAm Journal, http://iamkoream.com/august-issue-jay-caspian-kang-explores-korean-american-male-anger-in-new-novel/
4. Bowdoin Orient, http://orient.bowdoin.edu/orient/archives/2003-02-28/news02.html
5. The Morning News, Losing in Vegas:
Jay Caspian Kang's "literary moment", http://www.niemanstoryboard.org/2010/11/11/jason-kang-morning-news-the-high-literary-moment-gambling-addiction/
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