Evaluating sensationalism in news media using Alvin I. Goldman's veritistic social epistemology

• Main Author: Lim, Frederick Yu Heng
• Other Authors: Andrew T. Forcehimes
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; News; Sensationalism; Social epistemology; Alvin I. Goldman; Veritism
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174509
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The news provides factual information in the public interest, making it a veritistically good social practice. However, the commercial and competitive market pressures that are exerted on conventional news media necessitate the use of sensationalism as a means to drive up viewership, which has the potential to result in epistemic harm. In this applied philosophy paper, I attempt to evaluate the news in terms of how well it facilitates truth acquisition and falsity avoidance. I spend the first half of the paper articulating Goldman’s Veritistic Social Epistemology, laying out the conceptual foundation of my evaluation. Next, I show how the news corresponds to what Goldman posits as veritistically good testimonial reports, so long as its information contents successfully describe the state of affairs that the news is reporting. Subsequently, I articulate how the use of sensationalism in the news has the potential to mislead the audience and cause epistemic harm. I then highlight one potential shortcoming of Goldman’s project, which is its insensitivity towards cases of social practice that relies on veritistically bad variables to promote veritistically good outcomes. Finally, I respond to the shortcoming on Goldman’s behalf, and highlight how Goldman’s project may be impracticable.