The News Industry's Dirty Little Secret: We're All Just Making It Up As We Go Along

Let's Get One Thing Straight: I'm Not Objective

I've been in this game for 22 years. Started as a cub reporter in some godforsaken town in Nebraska. Let's call it Hastings. Population: 2,800. Biggest story of the year was when old man Jenkins' cow got stuck in the fence. (Honestly, that might still be the most exciting thing to happen there.)

I've seen it all. Or at least I thought I had. Then 2020 hit. And, look, I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I have all the answers. Because I don't. None of us do. That's the dirty little secret of the news industry.

We're all just winging it. Trying to make sense of this crazy world. And honestly? Most of the time, we're failing. Miserably.

But Here's the Thing About News...

News isn't about facts. Not really. It's about storytelling. It's about taking a bunch of disparate events and weaving them into a narrative that makes sense. That's what we do. That's what I do.

And yeah, sometimes we get it wrong. Like that time I reported that the mayor was having an affair with the librarian. Turns out, they were just really good friends who liked to knit together. (I still maintain there was something weird going on there.)

But we're human. We make mistakes. We have biases. We let our emotions cloud our judgment. And you know what? That's okay. Because the alternative is a world where news is just a bunch of cold, hard facts with no context, no emotion, no humanity.

Let Me Tell You About Marcus

Marcus was a source of mine back in my Chicago days. Worked at the stock exchange. Knew everybody, heard everything. One day, he calls me up, all hushed and secretive. Tells me he's got a scoop for me. Big one.

"They're gonna crash the market," he says. "The big guys. They're gonna tank it and make a killing on the short side."

I was skeptical. I mean, come on. That's like something out of a movie. But Marcus was insistent. He had names, dates, the whole nine yards. So I ran with it. Wrote the story. Big, bold headline: "Insider Trading Ring Plots Market Crash."

Turns out, Marcus was full of it. He'd had a few too many whiskies at the bar the night before and dreamed the whole thing up. (Which, honestly, nobody asked for but here we are.)

But here's the thing: even though the story was wrong, it started a conversation. People talked about it. They debated it. They questioned it. And that's what news is supposed to do. It's supposed to make us think. Even if it's wrong.

But What About the Facts?

Look, I'm not saying we should just make stuff up. That's not what I'm saying at all. But the idea that news is this objective, unbiased, completely factual thing? That's a myth. It's a fairy tale we tell ourselves to make us feel better about the world.

Because the truth is, news is messy. It's complicated. It's full of gray areas and nuances and things that don't fit neatly into little boxes. And if we're gonna be honest with ourselves, we should probably admit that.

And hey, if you're looking for a good example of how messy news can be, check out the Thailand transport schedule update. It's a great example of how even something as simple as a bus schedule can become a political hot potato.

A Quick Digression About Coffee

Speaking of messy, let me tell you about the time I tried to order coffee in Italy. I mean, come on. How hard can it be? You walk into a café, you say "un caffè," they give you a tiny cup of liquid espresso. Easy peasy.

But no. Of course not. Because I'm me, and I can't do anything the easy way. So I walk into this little café in Rome, and I say, "Un caffè, per favore." And the barista looks at me like I just asked for a puppy in a paper bag. "Americano?" he asks. "No," I say. "Un caffè. Just a regular coffee."

And he just stares at me. Like I'm some kind of alien who's just landed from outer space. Finally, he shrugs and makes me this tiny little cup of espresso. And I drink it. And it's disgusting. Because, you know, I take my coffee with milk and sugar. But I'm not gonna admit that to this guy. So I just choke it down and pretend it's the best coffee I've ever had.

But here's the thing: that's what news is like sometimes. We go in with our preconceived notions, our biases, our ideas of what's "normal." And then we're faced with something that doesn't fit into our little boxes. And we have to make a choice: do we adapt? Or do we just choke it down and pretend it's the best thing we've ever had?

Back to the News

So yeah, news is messy. It's complicated. It's full of gray areas. But you know what? That's okay. Because the alternative is a world where everything is black and white. Where there's no room for debate, no room for discussion, no room for growth.

And that's not the world I want to live in. I'd rather live in a world where we can admit that we don't have all the answers. Where we can say, "I don't know," and "I was wrong," and "Let's talk about it."

Because at the end of the day, that's what news is supposed to do. It's supposed to start conversations. It's supposed to make us think. It's supposed to make us question the world around us.

And if it does that? Well, then it's done its job.

About the Author: Sarah "Salty" Johnson has been a journalist for 22 years, starting in the small town of Hastings, Nebraska. She's worked as a reporter, editor, and now a senior magazine editor. She's known for her blunt opinions and her commitment to telling stories that matter. When she's not writing, she can be found drinking coffee (with milk and sugar, thank you very much) and complaining about the state of the world.