Hello.

Hello!

Hello?

Is anybody listening?

In a world of social media, blogs, vlogs, websites, streaming, podcasts: everyone is talking, everyone is airing an opinion, everyone is exercising a right to be heard – but is anyone really listening?

And even if you try really, really, hard to listen through the noise, what are you hearing in this world of algorithms and one subject podcasts, op-eds and AI – is it merely an echo chamber of your own thoughts?

The relatively new era of digital and social media has opened up the world in so many ways, allowing us access to places, stories, ideas, and thoughts we might otherwise never have heard. However, as this fascinating new world has helped to break down taboos and challenge the status quo, our use of new media has in many ways risked our ability to communicate effectively and openly.

The tools built to expand our information reach, now risk limiting our ability to question the narrative presented and our own preconceived ideas, to sit and consider other viewpoints with respect, and look at our own bias with a critical eye.

Among the risks is the ability of the reader, viewer, or listener to identify the credibility of the narrator and to engage in meaningful dialogue. We are navigating a world where the words of an anonymous person or even a bot can hold the same weight as a trained journalist, spokesperson, or first-hand witness. Truth and debate are sometimes clouded by mischievous lies that go viral, and as we all know, when we are explaining we are losing. So, the challenges facing the communications and public relations industry are reflective of those that face society as a whole.

How do we communicate through the noise, and by communicate I do not mean just have our message heard; but also, how do we listen so that we can act and react, build relationships and communities and maintain a truthful and ethical ethos and reputation?

The tools are there; how we use them remains the challenge. If used successfully the opportunities for positive dialogue and community building is immense, but we are not fully there yet. There is a role for Government and educators here. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right and must be protected. With rights comes responsibilities.

As Governments consider and enact legislation regarding social media use, they must ensure that legislation protects freedom of speech, all the while ensuring that citizens, journalists, and other professionals use this right responsibly.

Education also has a significant role. We are all learning how to navigate new communication platforms, but the learning cannot stop there or with the professional communicator. It is essential for a fair and aware society that everyone understands the source and credibility of the information we digest. We need easy access to thoughts, arguments and ideas that might just challenge our own, or give us pause for thought. Ideally this critical awareness would begin in the home, but as this is all relatively new, awareness and education will, for now, need to begin and continue in the classroom and lecture hall.

Finding our way through the digital media and online communication world will take time, and in the meantime, the onus is on all communication practitioners to fall back on the fundamental principles of being truthful, ethical, and clear in all our communications.

Traditionally mainstream media – namely print and broadcast – were the trusted authority when it came to reporting, questioning, and challenging authority. The journalists were the trusted truth seekers and champions of justice and fair play.

In the interest of declaring my own bias (we are capable of such things even without algorithms refeeding us our own belief system!), I spent almost the first two decades of my career as a working journalist. (I declare this as I don’t think that training, curiosity or thought process ever really leaves you.)

Like all journalists, everything I wrote or broadcast required research, right to reply and the fundamentals of fair play. There was no hiding who I was, a by-line was required on all articles and if I rarely branched out into op-ed or comment, a profile image of embarrassingly passport photo standards was put alongside my name. (Oh yes social media influencers, no filters, no special lighting, no photoshop – you have no idea of the shame!) In essence, the journalist was accountable for what they wrote, the broadcast reporter for what they said, and there was no anonymity.

In this era of keyboard warriors, trolls, and anonymous self-declared citizen journalists we need again to empower the skilled and trained journalists who put their name to their work and follow the evidence without fear or favour. However, to claim this role journalists must continue to adhere to the guidelines of good communications – asking questions, listening, and getting to the truth, even if that truth does not make the best click bate. We must support professional journalists who set the standard and not blindly follow.

Journalists too have a responsibility here. In recent months, maybe even years, I have encountered a growing number of new journalists who merely want a response to a statement being presented as fact. This might be a post discovered online, a comment from an individual, or a presumption. There are no questions from these journalists and my offers of a conversation, interview, or option to ask questions so that I can provide relevant or even extra information are refused. One budding reporter even went as far as to tell me, by email, that if I was to speak with them, they risked the story being killed. And this is a belief that needs to be challenged. There is always a story, maybe not the one originally envisaged, but there is always a story to be told. Asking questions will not kill a story.

Seeking the truth will not kill a story. It might kill the click bate element, but it might also open up the writer and reader to stories and information that they would otherwise never have heard.

So, as we wait for the education, legislation, and digital and social media regulation, we also need communications specialists – be it in the area of journalism or public relations – to hold strong to the truth, be ethical in our dealings and remain true to those listening.

Will this approach help us hear through the noise? Will we be heard? Will the truth out?

I honestly don’t know for sure – but we have to start somewhere.

And if you have any further thoughts, suggestions, or ideas on how we might navigate this new era of communications please speak up – I for one am listening!