New York City, Oct. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As trust for media and news outlets reaches an all-time low, The Doe is stepping up to make media reporting honest and give marginalized voices a platform.
The world has never been less trusting when it comes to news outlets, journalism, and information broadcasting. Social media has been instrumental in the rise of ‘fake news’, both as a phenomenon and as a linguistic term, and for the average person finding reliable information has become a trial by fire.
A study in Information Logic defines fake news as deliberately misleading information presented in a manner designed to give it a false sense of authority. As newspapers and online news outlets have become increasingly partisan, allegations of ‘fake news’ reporting are on the rise. The savvy consider a balanced spread of sources to build a realistic idea of the truth.
For those looking to side-step this issue altogether, however, there is another option: The Doe.
What is The Doe (And Why Should I Care)?
Honest, anonymous, contentious, and designed to incite serious debate on every possible topic – this is an online publication like no other, and it’s here to change the way we think about news.
Founded on June 1st, 2020, The Doe is an alternative news outlet designed to change the record and shake up an otherwise complacent populous. Milan Kordestani, creator of The Doe, launched the site as a response to the cookie cutter, mass-marketed, and increasingly biased.
Taking its name from the use of Jane/John Doe as a legal name for persons who cannot be identified, this is a news site with a difference. The Doe doesn’t allow advertisement, it doesn’t name its authors, and it focusses on honest, insightful, and hard-hitting narratives rather than curated articles.
The goal, according to Kordestani and his Editor-in-Chief Colin St John, is to disrupt the ‘echo chamber’ nature of modern news reporting and marketing. Today, 73% of Americans reported news media bias as a major issue (according to a Pew Research Center Survey).
According to the findings of R. Kelly Garrett in an article for the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication this skepticism is health and warranted. Readers on the internet are more likely to seek out articles by authors and institutions that they feel reinforce or support their views; this creates an online echo chamber where opinion reinforcement is a strong factor in article readership levels. In fact, Garrett found that the desire to have an opinion reinforced was far more influential than an aversion to having ones opinion challenged.
This may sound a little too academic and high-brow, but it all boils down to this; you should care about The Doe because it’s bringing marginalized voices, personal experiences, and facts together in a way that encourages healthy debate and deep thinking. No more fact regurgitation and sound-bite arguments.
How it Works: Honest Reporting, Without Agenda
With no advertisement revenue to consider and no corporate backers, The Doe is fully independent and produces honest, thought provoking content for its subscribers. Better yet they operate on a pay-what-you-want basis to ensure that their narratives, as they are called, are accessible to everyone.
Each month has a particular theme which the contributors explore through their narratives. There is no specific brief, no in-depth guiding by the editorial team, just the theme itself. This allows contributors to explore their knowledge and experiences freely. The Doe isn’t about pushing a certain viewpoint or convincing others to change their opinion on a subject – it’s about learning to assess and confront our own opinions in order to better understand their origins and boundaries.
Unlike many online new media outlets, however, The Doe has ground rules and etiquette standards which are enforced and upheld. The topics which they explore are contentious and often hard-hitting; as such The Doe is aware that debates are sure to follow. In fact, they intend for debates to take place around the narratives that they publish.
That’s why they are so set on maintaining the core values of honest, curiosity, and civility during all debates; anyone inciting violence, producing dangerous or harmful content, or attempting to out the identity of authors will be removed from the platform.
Is This a Media Revolution?
Funded by pay-what-you-can subscriptions and merchandise, anonymous to protect the author, an staunch advocate of civil curiosity and discourse, and a supporter of charities which vary from month to month, the creators of The Doe do things in their own way. From the narratives they publish to the charity selection process, everything is about honesty and empowerment for their readers.
Sadly, this is somewhat revolutionary right now (though the team at The Doe would argue it should be standard). However, The Doe is quickly gaining attention from people across the social and political spectrum – this could be a media news revolution that makes a start on repairing the broken trust between the news and the population.
As a fledgling publication, The Doe is still finding its feet. However, anyone who wants to get involved is welcome to do so. You can join The Doe for free, if you wish; this will allow you to read up to 10 narratives per month. Subscriptions are undertaken on a pay-what-you-wish basis and come with no term obligations. If you want to contribute to the publication you can do this as well; you don’t need to be a professional writer to have your voice heard here!
Writing for The Doe
Those looking to submit a narrative for publication can do so by sending a short pitch to the editorial team. This should detail what your narrative is about and cam be sent via their secure submission form.
If your pitch is accepted, the team will work closely with you to prepare your narrative for publication. Don’t worry, though, you retain creative control of your piece at every stage in the process.
Choose your pseudonym and prepare your narrative; The Doe is here to stay, and it wants to hear from people like you.
Media Details
Company Name - The DOE
Email address - press@thedoe.com
Website URL - https://www.thedoe.com/