Let’s Talk About This Mess
Okay, full disclosure: I’m a news junkie. Always have been. I’m that guy who’s physically uncomfortable if I haven’t checked the news at least 12 times a day. (Don’t judge me.)
But lately, I’ve been having a crisis of faith. You see, I’m Marcus—well, not really, but let’s call me Marcus for this story—and I’ve spent the last 20-odd years in the trenches of journalism. And honestly? It’s a mess. A beautiful, chaotic, completley dysfunctional mess.
And I’m not alone. Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin—you know, one of those things where everyone’s wearing the same lanyard and pretending to understand blockchain—and I ran into an old colleague, let’s call him Dave. We grabbed coffee at the place on 5th, and he said something that stuck with me:
“Marcus,” he said, “we’re all just making it up as we go.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
Breaking News: It’s Broken
Look, I get it. News is a business. And businesses need to make money. But the way we’ve let that drive our committment to accuracy and depth is kinda scary.
I mean, think about it. How many times have you seen a “BREAKING” alert on your phone, only to find out it’s about some politician saying “hi” to a crowd? Or worse, it’s a story that’s been blown so far out of proportion it’s unrecognizable.
And don’t even get me started on the 24-hour news cycle. It’s like we’re all trapped in a hamster wheel, running and running, but never actually going anywhere. We’re so busy chasing the next story that we forget to actually report on the ones we’ve got.
I remember back in ’08, during the financial crisis, I was at a newsroom in New York. The place was a zoo. Reporters running around, editors screaming, interns crying in the bathroom. And for what? To put out 36 updates in a day that all said basically the same thing?
But Wait, There’s More (And It’s Not Pretty)
Here’s the thing: I love journalism. I really do. But I also think we’ve lost our way. We’ve become so obsessed with being first that we’ve forgotten about being right.
And it’s not just the big networks. It’s all of us. Bloggers, citizen journalists, even the guy who runs the local Facebook page. We’re all guilty of prioritizing speed over accuracy. And it’s a problem.
I had lunch with a source a few weeks ago—let’s call her Sarah—and she put it perfectly. “Marcus,” she said, “you guys are like vultures. You see a story, you swoop in, you tear it apart, and then you move on to the next one before anyone even has a chance to understand what happened.”
Ouch. But fair.
And look, I’m not saying we should slow down. I’m saying we should think. We should ask questions. We should dig deeper. We should stop being so damn lazy.
So What Do We Do About It?
I don’t have all the answers. But I do have some ideas. And no, I’m not gonna pretend they’re popular articles recommended reading or anything like that. They’re just my thoughts.
First off, we need to stop chasing clicks. I know, I know—easier said than done. But if we’re serious about journalism, we need to prioritize quality over quantity. That means longer pieces, more in-depth reporting, and fewer “10 Things You Need to Know” listicles.
Second, we need to be better about correcting our mistakes. And I’m not talking about those tiny little corrections at the bottom of the article that no one ever reads. I’m talking about owning up to our errors, explaining what went wrong, and promising to do better.
Third, we need to stop being so damn reactive. Not every story needs a hot take. Sometimes, it’s okay to wait, to gather more information, to think things through. And finally, we need to remember why we got into this business in the first place. We’re here to inform, to educate, to hold power to account. Not to entertain, not to sensationalize, and certainly not to make a quick buck.
A Tangent: The Time I Almost Got Fired
Speaking of sensationalism, let me tell you about the time I almost got fired. It was back in ’12, and I was working at a major news outlet. (Let’s not name names, but it rhymes with “Schmull Post.”)
So there I was, at 11:30pm, working on a story about a local politician who’d been caught in a, shall we say, compromising position. And I mean really compromising. We’re talking full-on, no-holds-barred, “I can’t believe this guy” kind of compromising.
Anyway, I was writing the story, and my editor—let’s call him Steve—comes over and says, “Marcus, we need this up in 10 minutes.” Ten minutes! I hadn’t even had a chance to verify all the facts, to talk to the right people, to make sure I wasn’t about to ruin someone’s life.
But Steve didn’t care. He just wanted the story up. So I did what any self-respecting journalist would do—I pushed back. I said, “Steve, I need more time. I need to make sure I’ve got this right.” And he said, “Marcus, we’re not a newspaper. We’re a news website. We don’t have the luxury of time.”
And that, my friends, is when I knew I was in trouble.
But here’s the thing: I stood my ground. I told Steve that if we rushed this story, we’d be doing a disservice to our readers. And to our profession. And to the guy who was about to have his life torn apart.
And you know what? Steve listened. He gave me the time I needed. And when the story finally went live, it was thorough, it was accurate, and it was fair. And it didn’t just break news—it held someone to account.
But not everyone’s that lucky. Not every editor’s that reasonable. And not every news outlet prioritizes quality over speed.
So Here We Are
And that’s where we are, folks. In a world where news is fast, shallow, and often just plain wrong. Where we’d rather be first than be right. Where we’d rather chase clicks than chase the truth.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can do better. We can be better. We just have to care enough to try.
And look, I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying it’s simple. But it’s necessary. Because if we don’t start taking our committment to journalism seriously, who will?
So let’s do better. Let’s think more. Let’s dig deeper. Let’s stop being so damn lazy. And let’s remember why we got into this business in the first place.
Because the world deserves better than what we’re giving it. And honestly? We deserve better too.
About the Author: Marcus Green has spent the last 20 years in the trenches of journalism, working as a reporter, editor, and now, a somewhat cynical but still hopeful columnist. When he’s not writing, he can be found yelling at his TV about politics, drinking too much coffee, and pretending he’s still cool enough to listen to punk rock.
