Media is Independent when it is not influenced by government or corporations. Also called alternative media.
Pros: It is mainly less biased if chosen correctly. Censorship is weaker with this type of media. It is usually faster to report. With independent media, you can get several perspectives of the story to get a better understanding of the real situation. Since it is produced faster it allows for constant innovation.
Cons: The lack of censorship can allow for gore or inappropriate content sometimes. It is harder for people producing independent news to do it since there are fewer resources for this kind of media, therefore production quality can be worse than mainstream media. It is more common in this kind of media to have fake sources since there are fewer filters for real and accurate content.
Mainstream media is a common form of mass media owned by corporations, or state institutions. It is a concentration of media ownership in small groups but with widespread influence.
Pros: Production quality is usually great since there are more resources. Journalists usually have to meet a standard of quality and objectivity in the way they inform, even though this is mainly in theory. Standardized methods of getting information, for example, interviews and reports (eg.) can make the news easier to comprehend. Mainstream media has access to technological advancements which can help get some important information when used correctly.
Cons: Mainstream media is far more likely to have biases and it is way harder to compare different perspectives since between different mainstream sources, there can be common interests and they might just report the exact same thing. It can be less dissenting when necessary since it tries to be appealing for an audience, objectivity can be lost sometimes. It can take more time to report because of production times. Censorship can affect the way news are told.
