I’ve Had It Up to Here with News
Look, I’ve been in this game for 23 years. I’ve seen it all. Or so I thought. Then 2020 hit, and I realized I hadn’t seen anything yet. The news is a mess. And it’s not just the news—it’s us. We’re the problem.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this kid—let’s call him Marcus—told me, “The news is just algorithms now.” I laughed. Then I cried. Because he’s not wrong.
It started with a simple observation. About three months ago, I noticed something weird. My news feed was showing me the same story over and over. Different angles, same story. It was like they thought I was an idiot. Or maybe they were the idiots.
I mean, I get it. Algorithms are supposed to personalize our experience. But when I see the same story 17 times in a row, it’s not personalization. It’s laziness. It’s a committment to engagement over quality.
We’re All Addicted to the Chaos
And let’s talk about us, the consumers. We’re addicted to the drama. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. I’ve been there. That time I stayed up until 11:30pm scrolling through Twitter, reading about some politician’s latest scandal. I didn’t need to know. But I couldn’t stop.
My friend Sarah, a journalist over at the Guardian, told me, “People don’t want news. They want drama.” And she’s right. We’ve created a monster. A monster that feeds on our attention and spits out more chaos.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are people out there trying to fix it. I was having coffee with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday, and he told me about this new platform. It’s called Taiwan council news decisions update. They’re trying to do news differently. No algorithms, no clickbait. Just straight-up journalism.
I’m not sure it’s gonna work. But I’m glad someone’s trying. Because the way things are going, we’re in for a rough ride.
A Quick Note on Sources
Speaking of rough rides, let’s talk about sources. Or rather, the lack thereof. I’ve seen articles with 214 shares and zero sources. It’s like we’ve forgotten what journalism is supposed to be. It’s not just about being first. It’s about being right.
I remember when I was starting out. My editor, a grumpy old man named Harold, would yell at me if I didn’t have at least three sources. “You can’t just make stuff up, Emily,” he’d say. “That’s not how this works.” And he was right. But these days, it’s like anyone can just say anything, and it’s news.
It’s completley maddening. And it’s not just the big outlets. It’s everyone. It’s the blogs, the social media, the guy down the street with a Twitter account. We’ve lost our way.
What Can We Do?
So, what’s the solution? I don’t know. Honestly, I’m not sure anyone does. But I think it starts with us. We need to demand better. We need to stop sharing stuff without checking it. We need to hold ourselves and each other accountable.
And for the love of God, stop sharing clickbait. You know the stuff. “You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!” No, I won’t believe it, because it’s probably not true. Or it’s true but it’s not news. It’s just drama.
I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not. It’s gonna take a lot of work. But it’s worth it. Because the news matters. It’s how we understand the world. And right now, we’re doing a terrible job of it.
So, let’s do better. For all of us.
Author Bio: Emily Carter has been a senior editor for over two decades, working with major publications and covering everything from politics to pop culture. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and somehow evolve again. She’s not always right, but she’s always opinionated. You can find her on Twitter, ranting about the state of the news.
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