Let’s Talk About This Mess
Look, I’ve been editing news for 22 years. That’s 22 years of watching the news industry turn into a dumpster fire. And honestly? I’m tired.
I started at a tiny paper in Manchester. Let’s call it the Manchester Star, okay? Not the real one, but you get the idea. Back then, news was simple. You had a story, you checked it, you wrote it. Now? Now it’s a circus.
When Did Everything Go Wrong?
I’m not sure when it happened. Maybe it was the internet. Maybe it was the 24-hour news cycle. Maybe it was us. We wanted more, faster, cheaper. And now we’ve got it. And it’s terrible.
I remember sitting in a conference in Austin, Texas, back in 2010. A guy named Marcus—real name, by the way—stood up and said, “The news isn’t about informing anymore. It’s about engaging.” I laughed. I mean, come on. Engaging? It’s news, not a game show.
Which… yeah. Fair enough. Because now it is a game show. And we’re all the contestants.
The Problem with ‘Engaging’
Engaging is code for “make it clickable.” And making it clickable means making it sensational. And making it sensational means making it wrong. Or at least, not completely right.
I had coffee with a friend last Tuesday. Let’s call her Sarah. She’s a journalist, been at it for 15 years. She told me about a story she worked on. A real story, with real facts. But her editor said, “We need more drama.” So they added drama. And now it’s out there, in the world, and it’s wrong. But it’s engaging.
I asked Sarah, “Don’t you feel bad?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “Of course I do. But if I don’t do it, someone else will.” And that, folks, is the problem.
The Algorithm Isn’t Helping
Algorithms. Ugh. They’re not our friends. They want us to click. And they’ll show us whatever makes us click. And what makes us click? Drama. Outrage. Fear. Not facts. Not nuance. Not complexity.
I had a colleague named Dave. He’s a data guy. He showed me some numbers. 214 people clicked on a story about a minor local crime. 87 people clicked on a story about a complex policy issue. Guess which one got more attention? Yeah. The crime story.
But here’s the thing. The crime story? It was wrong. It was sensationalized. It was engaging. The policy story? It was right. It was nuanced. It was boring.
And that’s how we end up with a world where people believe lies because they’re more exciting than the truth.
What Can We Do About It?
I don’t know. I really don’t. But I know we can’t keep doing what we’re doing. We need to demand better. From ourselves, from our friends, from the news.
I mean, look at the crime news report today. It’s a mess. But it’s what we’re getting because it’s what we’re clicking on. And it’s what we’re sharing. And it’s what we’re believing.
So maybe we need to stop. Stop clicking. Stop sharing. Stop believing. At least, stop believing without questioning.
I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not. It’s hard. It’s physicaly exhausting sometimes. But it’s necessary. Because the news is broken. And we’re all to blame.
I’m not sure what the answer is. But I know it starts with us. With you. With me. We need to care more. We need to care about the truth more than we care about being right. More than we care about being engaged.
And that’s it. That’s all I’ve got. I’m not sure if it’s helpful. But it’s how I feel. And honestly, that’s what matters most.
Oh, and one more thing. Stop using the word ‘navigate’ to describe reading the news. It’s a story, not a maze. Sheesh.
About the Author: Jane Doe has been a senior editor for over 20 years, working at various publications across the UK. She’s seen the industry change, not always for the better, and isn’t afraid to say what she thinks. She lives in London with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends too much time yelling at the news.
