Probably time for us to have a thread/discussion on this topic as things get worse and worse.
I'm late 40s, would be described as very liberal by others. I haven't consumed any news from TV in 4-5 years. No CNN, No Fox, no local news, none of it. For the last 10-15 years I've used Twitter as a news feed and followed verified journalists to consume info (as well as general entertainment/sports/comedic accounts) That includes people like Glenn Greenwald, who I don't like and generally don't agree with, but I want to be challenged with viewpoints and don't want to get stuck in an echo chamber.
Since Elon purchased Twitter and boosted the idea of "citizen" journalism, the app has become almost unusable. It's also where the vast majority of this bullshit "journalism" is being published. Trying to get genuine info on the protests going on right now around the country is practically impossible. Here are the biggest issues IMO.
1. Elon Musk - This guy is simply a dumbass regarding anything outside of technology. Allowing anyone to be verified on Twitter was a massive error.
2. Monetization on Twitter - Fatal mistake and the complete downfall of the app. People will do and say anything to make money. Bot impressions also boost these disingenuous posts.
3. Engagement farming - Someone posts a video, then 100s of other accounts take the video and post it themselves to make money and grab more engagement. They flood the zone.
4. The algorithm - Holy shit, it's dangerous.
Are real journalists perfect? Of course not. Lots of issues with classic media. But putting reporting it into the hands of "the people", who mostly have no ethical/moral standards and see a massive opportunity to gain popularity and money, is an absolute disaster.