If the public demands objective, unbiased information, the quality of journalism will rise to fight misinformation, hold power to account, and preserve democracy.
In 2018, I earned my doctoral degree in journalism, political theory, and philosophy with a dissertation based on interviews conducted with journalists in Ukraine. Our conversations explored how reporters in the country strive to adhere to journalism’s professional norms while working in a media landscape influenced by misinformation, propaganda, and oligarchic ownership of the press. I chose to study Ukraine for several reasons, partly because my family comes from the country, but also because I saw parallels between the practice of journalism in Ukraine and the United States and the role that press ownership plays in both countries.
In the U.S., media ownership is highly concentrated, with six major corporations controlling about 90 percent of the country’s media landscape. A handful of powerful conglomerates — Comcast, Disney, News Corp, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, and Sony — control the majority of news outlets, creating an environment where editorial independence is often compromised by the financial and political interests of ownership. Ownership often prioritizes corporate interests, profit margins, and audience engagement over telling important, deeply reported stories.
The internet has also had a profound impact on the business of journalism in the U.S. The rise of digital media has shifted advertising dollars away from newspapers, magazines, and television to tech giants like Google and Meta, leading to widespread newsroom layoffs and the decline of local journalism. The pressure to maximize advertising revenue has renewed sensationalism and polarized content. Online platforms have fostered a 24-hour news cycle, emphasizing speed over accuracy and incentivizing clickbait-style reporting to maximize engagement and bring in badly needed dollars.
While digital journalism has made news more accessible, it has also fragmented audiences, deepened political polarization, and made misinformation more difficult to control. As media companies cater to shareholder demands rather than public service, the quality of news has declined, leaving citizens less informed and more susceptible to misinformation and outright propaganda.
“Seeking out accurate information is not just a collective responsibility — it is and must be a personal duty.”
My research explored how Ukrainian journalists navigate their professional responsibilities in an environment replete with propaganda and misinformation, where media ownership is heavily concentrated among oligarchs with political agendas. I also analyzed interviews with American journalists about their professional values, and the results were surprising. While the challenges in Ukraine and the U.S. differ, many concerns were strikingly similar. American journalists, too, are increasingly navigating a polarized media environment, where accusations of bias and fake news erode public trust in a shared social truth. Both Ukrainian and American journalists expressed frustration with how economic pressures shape media content.
The lessons from Ukraine resonate globally. In an era of rising authoritarianism and information warfare, journalism’s role in democracy has never been more important. To uphold its fundamental mission, the press must navigate the challenges of economic survival, political influence, and public trust. That said, each of us as news consumers also plays a crucial role in shaping what we see on television, in print, and online.
While much of the conversation about journalism ethics focuses on the responsibilities of reporters and media organizations, the public also plays a decisive role. In an era where media consumption is driven by algorithms, audience engagement directly influences the types of stories that gain traction. This means that readers and viewers have a significant impact on the journalistic landscape.
If the public prioritizes sensational headlines, outrage-driven content, and hyper-partisan stories, news editors will respond accordingly. Conversely, if audiences demand thoughtful, well-researched journalism, the industry will adapt to meet that demand. The responsibility of media literacy, therefore, falls not only on journalists but also on citizens who must critically evaluate the news they consume. News consumers should look for journalism that provides sources, quotes experts, and includes evidence to support claims. News outlets that have a history of accuracy, ethical reporting, and established editorial standards are also more trustworthy as sources of credible information.
“Tyranny requires the concentration of power and control of information, while democracy demands an informed and engaged public that carefully and critically evaluates information. By taking responsibility for the news we consume and share, we help sustain a society built on truthful, factual, and verifiable information.”
We understand through both theory and practice that journalism plays a critical role in shaping a healthy, vibrant democratic society. But the future of the press — and the very survival of our own democracy — depends not just on journalists. It depends on all of us. By demanding high-quality reporting, supporting independent media, and engaging critically with the news, we signal to news editors a hunger for objective facts. Conversely, by seeking out and clicking on news stories that support our own partisan worldviews, we send a very dangerous signal to news editors at a time when journalism as a business needs readers and revenue. When we show our hunger for hyper-partisan, deeply biased news, then news editors feed us more of what we want.
Seeking out accurate information is not just a collective responsibility — it is and must be a personal duty. When we prioritize truth over sensationalism, we help create a society that values accountability, transparency, and rational debate, all of which are essential to a functioning democracy.
Tyranny requires the concentration of power and control of information, while democracy demands an informed and engaged public that carefully and critically evaluates information. By taking responsibility for the news we consume and share, we help sustain a society built on truthful, factual, and verifiable information. Democracy, whether in Ukraine or the U.S., depends on each of us.
Andrew Nynka ’99, a political economy major at Muhlenberg, is the editor-in-chief of The Ukrainian Weekly and Svoboda, two newspapers collectively published by the Ukrainian National Association, Inc., for more than 220 years. He was in Ukraine when Russia launched its full-scale war on the country, and he continues to travel between the U.S. and Ukraine.
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