[The Editors' Verdict] The Temptation of "Exposure" Experienced by Journalists

Some journalists struggle with the temptation of exposure. As the news consumption market has become digitalized, the competition has shifted from newspaper sales numbers to content exposure. There was a time when newspapers were virtually the only platform for delivering news. Back then, exposure competition was internal to the media company. Whether my article would appear on the front page or the third page, whether it would be placed at the top of the page or tucked away in a small corner. Even then, the decision-making power did not lie with the journalists. It was the responsibility of the top editor, the editor-in-chief.

With the advent of portal platforms, an era of infinite competition for exposure began. Thousands of media outlets pour out articles every day. Except for a few exclusive articles, most contain roughly similar information value. Recently, there was a 'Black Monday' in the stock market. Readers’ expectations are almost uniform: why did it happen, and what will happen to the market going forward? Numerous articles addressing these common questions have been published. So, when a user searches for 'Black Monday,' which article will they see first? The decision-maker is no longer the editor-in-chief. It is the algorithm.

Search engines like Naver and Google recognize published news according to pre-set algorithms and rank them. They decide whether to place an article at the top of the search results page and how much exposure it should get. From a journalist’s perspective, the question becomes how to get their article to appear at the top of search results.

The screen of the smartphone in hand displays multiple news listings. Which news appears first on the limited smartphone screen is determined by an algorithm pre-set by each platform company.

Google’s and Naver’s news algorithms include an item called 'accessibility.' This evaluates whether articles help people with visual or hearing impairments easily access and understand the content. If accessibility is good, the content is judged to be better and given bonus points, which influence the exposure position. If you want exposure, you must also pay attention to the algorithm’s accessibility criteria.

Visually impaired people access articles using screen readers that read text aloud. Most articles have the title at the top and the content flows naturally downward. When machines read in order, there is generally no problem understanding. The issue is images. Without detailed descriptive text explaining the photos, readers can easily become confused. Many online articles have poor photo descriptions. For example, suppose there is a photo showing a peaceful scene in a park. You may have often seen captions under photos that say only 'Photo courtesy of OO Image' or 'Some park.' This is laziness that disregards the reader. Instead, it should say: 'A woman is pushing a stroller in a park on a clear day.'

Consideration for hearing-impaired people is also necessary. As video production and consumption increase, many articles include videos. Adding subtitles to videos allows hearing-impaired people to easily understand the content. Alternatively, providing alternative text summarizing the video content is also possible.

Additionally, there is a suggestion for platforms like Google and Naver. Please assign an excessively generous bonus to the accessibility item in the algorithm function that determines exposure. Let articles that pay attention to accessibility receive significant preferential treatment (higher exposure). At least for the near future. This is also a way to support the hope and passion that continue far away in Paris, France. The 2024 Paris Paralympics (the Disabled Olympics) will open in two days.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.