The Messy, Frustrating Truth About News in 2023

Look, let's talk about the dumpster fire that is news right now

I've been editing magazines for 23 years. 23! I've seen alot of changes, but nothing like this. It's not just the 24-hour news cycle anymore. It's the 24-second news cycle. And it's completley out of hand.

Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin. Honestly, I don't even remember what the conference was about. But I do remember sitting in the back, scrolling through my phone, and feeling this overwhelming sense of dread. News alert after news alert. Breaking news that wasn't actually breaking. Just... noise.

And it's not just me. I talked to a colleague named Dave about it. He said, "Marcus, I mean, I can't even keep up. It's like drinking from a firehose. And the hose is on fire." Which... yeah. Fair enough.

But here's the thing about news these days

It's not about informing anymore. It's about engaging. And not in a good way. It's about outrage. It's about clicks. It's about... I don't know, making us feel something, anything, so we don't forget that the news is there.

I remember when I started out. Back in the '90s. We had deadlines, sure. But we also had time. Time to dig into stories. Time to talk to people. Time to actually think about what we were putting out into the world.

Now? Now it's all about speed. Speed and sensationalism. And it's killing me. It's killing the industry. And honestly, it's killing our ability to have a sane conversation about anything.

Take this story, for example

About three months ago, I was editing a piece about some political committment or another. I don't even remember which politician or what the issue was. But I do remember the back-and-forth with the writer. The writer wanted to include some quote from a random Twitter user because "it would add flavor." I said, "Flavor? We're not making a smoothie here. We're reporting the news." But the writer insisted. And honestly, I'm not sure but maybe they had a point.

I mean, look, I get it. News needs to be engaging. But there's a difference between engaging and... whatever this is. And it's not just the big networks doing it. It's everyone. It's the local news. It's the blogs. It's the podcasts. It's even the damn street style inspiration ideas street style inspiration ideas pages.

And it's not just the content. It's the way it's delivered. The sensationalist headlines. The clickbait. The... I don't know, the whole vibe. It's like we're all trapped in this never-ending loop of outrage and pseudo-scandal.

But here's the thing that really gets me

We're not just consuming this garbage. We're participating in it. We're sharing it. We're arguing about it. We're letting it divide us. And for what? So some algorithm can decide what we see next?

I was having coffee with a friend last week. Let's call him Marcus. He's a teacher. He told me about a debate he had with his students about news literacy. And honestly, it was depressing. These kids are growing up in a world where they can't tell the difference between real news and... I don't know, a meme. And it's our fault. It's our fault for letting this happen.

And it's not like there's an easy fix. I mean, I wish there were. But there's not. It's gonna take a lot of work. A lot of unlearning. A lot of... I don't know, maybe just turning off our phones for a while.

But hey, what do I know?

I'm just some old editor who still uses the word "editor" like it means something. Maybe I'm just bitter because I remember when news was about more than just clicks. Maybe I'm just frustrated because I can't keep up with the physicaly impossible pace. Maybe I'm just... I don't know, tired.

But I do know this: we can do better. We have to do better. Because if we don't, we're not just losing our ability to inform. We're losing our ability to connect. To understand. To be human.

And that's a price I'm not willing to pay.

About the Author
Sarah Thompson has been a senior editor for over two decades, working with major publications and digging into the messy truth of modern journalism. When she's not wrestling with run-on sentences and fact-checking, she can be found arguing about politics over coffee and attempting to explain the news to her baffled cat.