Article from newslabturkey.org
As is well known, TikTok, one of the fastest growing platforms in the world, has been instrumental in spreading news and, more importantly, human stories and ideas on many topics, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Many well-established institutions and independent journalists are convinced of the power of the platform and are trying to adapt to it.
The fact that many institutions and journalists, especially the example of the Associated Press (AP), have tried their luck on TikTok, shows us once again that anyone who wants to be in the news media must adapt to the conditions of the era, the desires and orientations of the audience. On the other hand, while we understand that TikTok can be an important source of power for journalists, we keep in mind how important it is to prioritize ethical concerns, verification and fact-checking.
While TikTok is beloved and touted for its engaging presentation, there are also concerns about the reliability of information and the potential for disinformation and misinformation. To be honest, these concerns are justified. Because this lack of trust shows us how sensitive we are to disinformation and journalistic ethics.
TikTok in Reuters Institute's 2022 Digital News Report
Focusing on the production of content for TikTok by publishers and some independent news creators, the research includes tracking publisher activity in more than 40 countries, as well as interviews with some of the most successful news organizations such as the Washington Post, Sky News and Le Monde about their key lessons. In publishing the report, Reuters notes that, citing the platform’s breakneck speed, the data should be treated as a snapshot that hopefully contains information that will be useful to news organizations, regulators and researchers, rather than seeing it as comprehensive research.
The main points from the report are as follows:
- Nearly half (49%) of major news publishers now regularly post content on TikTok, according to the 2022 Digital News Report, which covers 44 markets. Most of the publishers are new to the platform, many of whom joined TikTok last year.
- News outlets are fascinated by the platform, which is attracting attention from a rapidly growing audience and younger demographic, but at the same time maintain a desire to provide reliable news amid widespread fears of misinformation on the platform.
- And, of course, TikTok adoption hasn’t been evenly distributed across the globe. The vast majority of publishers in Indonesia (90%), Australia (89%), Spain (86%), France (86%), the United Kingdom (UK) (81%), and the United States (77%) use active TikTok accounts; news organizations in Japan (31%), Italy (29%), Denmark (27%), and Bulgaria (7%) were slower to adopt the platform.
- Of course, there are those who try to keep as much distance between themselves and TikTok as possible. Some institutions and individuals are concerned that the platform is based in China and about the potential consequences for freedom of expression. There are also those who fear that “TikTokizing the news” risks trivializing important stories and undermining business models that depend on referral traffic from social networks.
- The process of getting “verified” status on TikTok is also not a very streamlined one. Research shows that many publishers, especially outside the US and Western Europe, with a strong history of trustworthy content, including error checking, have yet to receive a blue checkmark.
- Finally, respondents who participated in the research state that they want TikTok to offer more relevance, more transparency, better monetization opportunities, and access to more detailed demographic data. Many are unhappy that TikTok sometimes removes or limits access to hard news from their accounts, arguing that legitimate news providers should be treated differently.