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Veknoid_Outcast on 05 August 2016
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potato_hamster said:
Veknoid_Outcast said:

This is a small group of idiots, yes, but I think it's emblematic of a disturbing trend I've been noticing. I see a lot of consumers appear to mistrust reviewers, critics, and journalism in general. It's like a weird anti-intellectual movement and it's awfully scary to me. I just want to remind everyone: it's the job of critics to inform public opinion, not reflect it.

Well the main difference between journalists and "reviewers" and "critics" is that journalists typically have a university degree, and are bound to a code of ethics, and "reviewers" and "critics" are people expressing their opinions on the internet. I grew up with one of the top journalists in the country who works for a national news organization and she has a lot to say about how bloggers and youtubers make people like her seem less credible to the general public. Anyone can get online and pretend they're an authority, or pretend they have a credible source, or be paid to say the things they're saying and never report that they're being paid for it, and say whatever they want within the limits of the law and not be held accountable for it. She is actually held to a much higher standard, and her organization can face huge fines and legal consequences if she steps out of line the way many bloggers and youtubers do.

So maybe that's why you see a lot of mistrust - there are people poisoning the well so to speak.

That's a fair point. Just look at this recent controversy with YouTubers advertising gambling sites or accusations of corruption and favoritism at gaming giants like IGN and Polygon.

But I do hope people realize there are a lot of brilliant journalists, reporters, and critics out there that fulfill an important role. One of my heroes is Roger Ebert, whose reviews and essays helped me fall in love with movies. As an admirer of his and of the profession, I'd hate to see all critics dismissed as untrustworthy, out-of-touch, or otherwise unreliable.