Media reported on it. “Bloggers” posted about it. FlyerTalk members discussed it. They all likely benefited from a surfeit of clicks and views…
…and yet, this is a classic example of why I use original sources in my articles at The Gate With Brian Cohen and rarely jump on the “breaking news” bandwagon — especially when the news is from unconfirmed sources that are nothing more than rumors.
…And This Is a Classic Example of Why I Use Original Sources In My Articles.
The so-called “news” pertained to significant changes that were forthcoming for the World of Hyatt membership program — including but not limited to the addition of not one but two new high-end categories and increases for the pricing of award stays. The specifics will not be repeated in this article because — this is one of the rare times in which a discussion on Reddit is quoted in an article at The Gate With Brian Cohen — they have been found to be false as part of a supposed experiment for a college class that was composed with the use of artificial intelligence…
…assuming that that information is actually true. Who knows?
Unfortunately, this is part of a much bigger issue: decaying trust in the media in general. With the race for clicks and views — compounded by the improper use of social media and artificial intelligence — news and stories have become much more suspect and difficult to believe. Discerning fact from fiction is reaching the point of impossible. Finding a trusted original source of the news and verifying facts have become increasingly more arduous — to the point of frustration at times. This is not only occurring within the travel industry — this has become prevalent almost everywhere, with very few stopgaps and procedures to slow down the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Is the plethora of articles pertaining to travel over the years which have been “leaked”, expounding upon, supposing, analyzing, forecasting, and even pontificating about information which is little more than rumors really necessary? Other than for the purveyors themselves who distribute such “news”, who is actually benefiting from having potential misinformation metaphorically shoved down the throats of readers to quench their voracious appetite for consuming information as quickly as possible — no matter what the cost?
One does not necessarily need to be a bonafide veritable journalist to be credible — but is there not some sense of responsibility to ensure that information is at least accurate?
With regard to airlines, lodging companies, rental car companies, online travel agencies, cruises, and other entities in travel — including changes to their membership programs — is breaking any news on any of this really more beneficial than reporting on it in a timely manner when the information is verified?
Predictable.
The author of the aforementioned discussion on Reddit commented that he or she “Didn’t expect literally every award travel blog to make this their Friday morning headline”.
I did.
Whenever I see something in social media that has even a tenuous connection to travel, I know of several “bloggers” who will eventually jump on it and run with the article — along with a sensational “click bait” headline. For example, when Thomas Pritzker — who is a billionaire that was the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation — was reported to have resigned from his position as a result of the discovery of his connection with the controversial Jeffrey Epstein, I posted the following message on one of the social media accounts of The Gate With Brian Cohen:
Although Pritzker should be ashamed for associating himself with such an immoral and unethical person and should be fully punished to the fullest extent of the law for any wrongdoing that he might have committed, I truly do not understand how this development has anything to do with travel — nor do I understand how it benefits readers…
…other than for pure entertainment value, I suppose. I guess posting false information — especially if it is salacious — is like shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to the story being picked up recklessly and reported by writers.
Final Boarding Call
Articles regarding rumors is a risky business for the writer: if the information is accurate, the author can become more respected — to the point of being perceived as a knowledgeable expert in the industry…
…but if the information is proven false, that same author can lose credibility — and possibly trust.
Sure, I have dabbled in reporting on rumors in the past; but that is usually when there is an interesting side story related to the rumors. I usually prefer writing about news when it is confirmed or actually happens; and I strive to get the information from the original source. I suppose writing an article based on pure supposition attracts readers, which garners more clicks and views. I further suppose that if any portion of the supposition in the original article which deems to not be factual is worthy of a follow-up article, which would attract readers — thus garnering more clicks and views.
My hope is that after this embarrassing incident of spreading and reporting on false information with the World of Hyatt membership program, my colleagues will take a moment to think about reflecting on what happened over the past couple of days and strive to be more careful and improve their methods of reporting information to their audiences…
…but I choose not to engage in that practice of reporting on rumors — because to me, the trust of the audience of The Gate With Brian Cohen is substantially more important than garnering more clicks and views in any way possible…
Photograph ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
