The News Is Broken, And We're All To Blame

Let's Talk About This Mess

I've been in this game for 22 years. 22! I started back when newspapers still smelled like newsprint and we called the internet 'the information superhighway.' (Which, honestly, nobody asked for that term but here we are.)

And look, I love journalism. I really do. But frankly, we've messed up. Badly. The news is broken, and it's not just because of algorithms or clickbait or whatever buzzword you wanna throw at it. It's us. We did this.

I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this kid—let's call him Marcus—told me, 'Mrs. Thompson, we don't trust you.' And I said, 'What do you mean, we don't trust you?' And he said, 'The news. We don't trust the news.'

Which... yeah. Fair enough.

But Why, Though?

Okay, so here's the thing. We've spent the last couple of decades chasing clicks. And I get it, budgets are tight, print is dead, blah blah blah. But at what cost?

I mean, I remember when we'd spend 36 hours on a story. 36 hours! Now, we're lucky if we get 36 minutes. And don't even get me started on the committment to accuracy. It's like we've forgotten what that word means.

And the public? They're not stupid. They see it. They know when you're rushing, when you're cutting corners, when you're just plain wrong. And they're calling us out on it. Which, honestly, they should.

I was talking to a colleague named Dave the other day, and he said, 'You know what the problem is? We're not telling stories anymore. We're just regurgitating press releases.' And I said, 'Dave, that's not just the problem. That's the whole damn industry.'

So What Do We Do?

Look, I don't have all the answers. But I know this: we gotta slow down. We gotta stop chasing every little thing that happens and start focusing on what's important.

And we gotta be honest. With ourselves, with our audience, with the world. If we don't know something, we say we don't know it. If we make a mistake, we own it. We ammend it. We move on.

And for the love of all that's holy, we gotta stop with the sensationalism. Not everything is a 'crisis' or a 'disaster' or a 'game-changer.' Sometimes, it's just a story. A story that needs to be told, sure, but not one that's gonna bring about the end of the world as we know it.

Oh, and one more thing. We gotta get better at this social media thing. I mean, come on. We're journalists, not teenagers. Act like it. Use sosyal medya yönetim araçları or something. I don't care. Just stop posting every thought that pops into your head.

A Tangent: The Time I Got Fired

Speaking of honesty, let me tell you about the time I got fired. It was back in '08, at the Austin Chronicle. I wrote a piece about the local school board, and, well, let's just say I didn't pull any punches. Turns out, the school board president was a major advertiser. Oops.

But you know what? It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because it taught me that the truth matters. That integrity matters. That sometimes, you gotta stand up and say, 'This is wrong, and I'm not gonna be a part of it.'

And that's what we need more of. More truth. More integrity. More people willing to stand up and say, 'Enough is enough.'

But Wait, There's More

Oh, and one more thing. We gotta stop with the echo chambers. I mean, come on. We're supposed to be the ones asking the tough questions, challenging the status quo. Not sitting in our little bubbles, patting ourselves on the back because we all agree.

I was at a panel last week, and this woman—let's call her Sarah—said, 'You know what the problem is? We're all so physicaly and emotionaly invested in our own perspectives that we've forgotten how to listen.'

And I thought, 'Sarah, you're onto something there.'

In Conclusion... Wait, No

Look, I could go on and on. But I won't. Because frankly, I'm tired. Tired of the mess we've made. Tired of the excuses. Tired of the lack of accountability.

So here's my challenge to you: let's fix this. Let's make the news worth reading again. Let's make it something we can be proud of. Something the public can trust.

Because honestly, we owe it to them. We owe it to ourselves. And we owe it to the future of this crazy, beautiful, messed-up thing we call journalism.

About the Author
Sarah Thompson has been a journalist for 22 years, working at various publications including the Austin Chronicle and the Houston Press. She currently lives in Austin with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends her free time complaining about the state of the news industry.