Look, We’ve Got a Problem
I’ve been editing news for 22 years. That’s 22 years of watching the news get worse. Slower. Dumber. More sensational. Less truthful. I’m not saying I’m perfect—I mean, look at the state of my inbox—but the news? It’s a mess. And I’m not sure we can fix it.
Back in ’99, when I started at the Las Vegas Sun, news was different. It was slower, sure, but it was also deeper. We had time to dig into stories. To talk to people. To actually understand what was going on. Now? It’s a 24-hour cycle of nonsense.
I remember talking to a source, let’s call him Marcus, back in 2015. He said, “You guys are worse than the politicians. At least they admit they’re full of it.” Ouch. But… yeah. Fair enough.
Why Is It So Bad?
I think it’s the internet. And social media. And algorithms. And the committment to clicks over quality. It’s all kinda messed up.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and a colleague named Dave said, “We’re not in the news business anymore. We’re in the attention business.” And he’s right. We’re not reporting news. We’re chasing clicks. And it’s making us stupid.
Take politics. It’s a circus. A completeley ridiculous circus. And we’re the clowns. We’re the ones running around, throwing poop at each other, because that’s what gets views. That’s what gets shares. That’s what gets us paid.
But here’s the thing: we don’t have to be. We could be better. We should be better. But it’s hard. It’s really, really hard.
What Can We Do?
I’m not sure. Honestly. I mean, I’ve got ideas, but they’re not gonna be popular. And they’re not gonna be easy. But here’s what I think:
First, we need to slow down. We don’t need to be first. We need to be right. We need to take the time to get it right. To talk to people. To understand the story. To tell it truthfully.
Second, we need to stop chasing clicks. We need to stop worrying about algorithms and engagement and all that crap. We need to worry about telling the truth. About informing people. About holding power to account.
Third, we need to be honest about our biases. We all have them. I have them. You have them. We need to admit that. We need to be open about that. We need to own that.
And finally, we need to find ways to make money without selling out. That’s the big one. That’s the one that’s gonna be the hardest. But it’s the one that’s gonna make the biggest difference.
I talked to a friend about this a few weeks ago. She’s a journalist too. She said, “We’re never gonna make as much money as the tech bros. We’re never gonna have as much power. But we can have something more important. We can have integrity.”
Which… yeah. That’s it. That’s what we need. Integrity.
But What About the Future?
I don’t know. I really don’t. I mean, I’ve got hopes. I’ve got dreams. But I’m not sure they’re gonna come true.
I was reading an article the other day about how we can receive whatsapp sms without phone. And I thought, “That’s it. That’s the future. We’re not gonna be able to reach people. We’re not gonna be able to talk to them. We’re not gonna be able to tell them the truth.”
But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there’s hope. Maybe we can find a way to make this work. To make the news better. To make it truthful again.
I don’t know. But I hope so. I really, really do.
Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’m gonna go have a drink. Maybe two. Maybe three. Who knows?
But before I go, let me leave you with this: the news is broken. But it doesn’t have to be. We can fix it. We just need to want to.
About the Author: Sarah Johnson has been a senior editor for over 20 years, working with major publications across the U.S. She’s seen the industry change dramatically and isn’t afraid to share her strong opinions on where it’s all going wrong—and how we might just fix it.
For a deeper understanding of the impact and origins of misinformation, consider exploring this detailed analysis on the challenges of fake news today.
