The world used to rely on news anchors, magazines, and newspapers to learn about current events. Naturally, the news cycle ramped up for decades, which culminated in the rise of digital content creation. Now, digital content creators shape public opinion just as much as any news anchor did in their prime.
That’s especially true when it comes to news regarding legal cases, policies, and justice movements. After all, you can find thousands of content creators on social media covering similar stories at any given time. Like anything else, the rise of digital content covering legal and social justice news has its pros and cons.
That’s because it has largely redefined the way people consume and view such important information. Digital creators continually redefine the narratives surrounding law and justice in many ways, including:
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Signal Boost Important Causes and Stories
For many years, the general public was only aware of stories that got the most mainstream coverage. Sadly, this meant that many legal, justice-focused stories flew under the radar. Today, digital creators have some of the biggest platforms, which they often use to signal boost important stories.
Because of that, people are more aware of legal stories, social justice movements, and important events. By highlighting these stories, digital creators expose people to important facts and causes they may not see otherwise. For example, many justice-focused writers and influencers highlight legal cases that don’t necessarily get mainstream coverage.
This independent content is a great pathway into journalism, and it typically serves good causes. Signal boosting such causes, cases, and movements can ensure the voiceless are heard. When done well, justice-focused digital content can shape narratives as fairly as possible.
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Provide Transparency
Today, many people struggle to trust what they see online, and that’s often with good reason. That’s why more and more digital creators push toward transparency, especially surrounding legal cases. Digital content creation isn’t as rigid as other outlets, so creators can document their entire processes.
In doing so, they can show documents and provide real-time updates regarding legal cases and justice movements. Instead of stating several bullet points, digital creators can show clips, interviews, charts, and documents to shape their statements. Independent digital creators don’t have to adhere to any strict rules or time slots in most cases.
Because of that, they have plenty of time to explain their process and paint a clear picture. This is important in a world where transparency is increasingly desirable.
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Impact Potential Jurors
The never-ending news cycle seemingly grows larger and harder to track each day. That’s because there are so many news outlets, platforms, and digital content creators documenting everyday events. Anyone with a smartphone can find instant feedback regarding legal news and justice developments.
Digital creators know this and often address big cases long before court proceedings even begin. They not only sway public opinion, but can even affect the jury selection process. Pretrial bias is a big part of jury selection, as courts rely on impartial jurors.
Finding impartial jurors is harder than ever, as digital creators begin shaping public opinion the second a story breaks. While this instant feedback helps inform people, it can negatively impact legal narratives in that way. In some cases, trials are delayed until the frenzy dies down enough to find impartial jurors.
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Push for Societal Changes
The abundance of digital creators contributes to some problems regarding legal narratives, but it has also led to positive changes. Previously, societal changes took years, or even decades, to manifest, as they were in the hands of lawmakers. Today, digital creators not only teach the public about issues but also empower them to make a change.
This is truer than ever, as more and more people push for courts, law enforcement, and lawmakers to be held accountable for their actions. For example, police body cameras are more common because of the backlash surrounding viral videos of police cruelty. By highlighting these incidents, people can now react to things that have happened for years, but they didn’t previously know about.
This is arguably the biggest benefit of having digital content creators cover legal cases and justice movements. Their efforts may influence people to push for policy changes that affect society as a whole.
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Create Distrust
While legal content creation comes with many positives, the distrust that accompanies it is a downside. People will always argue online, especially when they see conflicting reports. The sheer volume of digital content creators means that everyone can find conflicting reports, which create distrust.
Some readers and viewers are naturally inclined to believe specific accounts and distrust others. It’s good that people can access so much information, but it’s up to them to consume it responsibly. That’s why digital creators must understand the power of their voices.
It’s important to hold digital creators accountable, as spreading misinformation is bad whether you’re an influencer or a cable news station. Digital creators don’t have the same regulations as network news anchors, so consumers must trust that they vet sources. Content creation vs. news media is like criminal justice vs. criminology; they’re not the same, but they’re both important.
Ethical Digital Creators Have Lots of Responsibilities
Anyone can repackage information to reach their audience and make a big impact. However, not everyone understands how impactful their message is and how wide their reach is. With a strong ethical foundation and plenty of restraint, digital content creators can shape legal and social justice narratives without a problem.
That’s especially true if they prioritize transparency and objectivity. This is the best way to shape such important narratives without any interference and ethical implications.
