The Odyssey Online is a website on which anyone can create an account and write articles of their choosing, on subjects about which they are passionate. If an article gets enough attention, the user can potentially make some money off of their article.
Most of these articles are opinion-based. The website claims that their goal is to “give people the opportunity to share what’s most important to them and their communities, enriching everyone with broader more honest perspectives.”
I see absolutely nothing wrong with this, but I think it should be understood that this is not journalism. It is simply a blogging platform, often used to rant about different topics. The Odyssey Online did not claim itself to be “reliable news,” but I would like to remind people stumbling across this website that it is not a reliable source by any means. The titles are meant to catch your attention because if they go viral the writer potentially makes more money.
If you go onto the website understanding this fact, it can be a great experience. You can find people with similar views and connect with people throughout your community. Just remember that these articles are opinion-based, and not everything you read on this website that claims to be “facts” can be trusted. In today’s society, it is certainly true that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.
There are plenty of articles online from journalists who hate The Odyssey Online. However, I do think they should give some slack to the online platform. The Odyssey Online is about letting voices be heard. They do not claim to be replacing journalism, nor do they claim to be anything other than perspective-based articles.
Many are enraged about some of the opinions being published, simply because it is against their own opinions. An editor named Sami West from spectatornews.com, created an open letter to The Odyssey Online and proclaimed it to be ‘pointless’ and ‘unoriginal.’ West especially became angry when she came across articles she did not like, such as, “Things Trump Supporters Are Tired of Hearing.”
Although West writes in her article that she understands it is just a blog space, she went on to say that if that title did not make the reader “cringe,” then the reader is “misinformed and privileged.” Now to me, this sounds like a case of unreasonable intolerance to others’ opinions. This seems to be the reasoning behind many against The Odyssey. Furthermore, West is, in a way, ironically doing exactly what others are doing on The Odyssey: sharing opinions.
If you are hearing about this for the first time, I suggest checking it out with an open mind, and remember that it is a blog, not a newspaper. People go there specifically to share opinions, not news.
