The News Cycle is Broken, and We're All to Blame

Look, I've Had It

I've been in this business for 22 years, and I'm telling you, the news cycle is completley broken. I'm not just talking about the obvious stuff—fake news, clickbait, all that. I'm talking about the deeper, more insidious problems. The ones we're all complicit in.

Back in '99, when I started at the Austin Chronicle, news was... well, it was slower. You had time to think. To fact-check. To actually report. Now? It's a never-ending stream of hot takes and half-baked analyses. And honestly, it's exhausting.

But Let's Be Real

I'm as guilty as anyone. There was this one time, about three months ago, I was at a conference in Austin, and I tweeted something snarky about a politician. It was dumb. It was reactive. It was the kind of thing that adds nothing to the conversation. But it got likes. It got retweets. And that's the problem, isn't it? We're all chasing validation in 280 characters or less.

I remember sitting down with a colleague named Dave after that. He said, "You're better than this, Sarah." And he was right. I am better than that. We all are. But the system's rigged against us. Against thoughtful discourse. Against actual journalism.

The Algorithm is Winning

Algorithms don't care about truth. They care about engagement. And engagement, as we all know, comes from outrage, from controversy, from the most extreme takes possible. So that's what we're fed. That's what we're encouraged to produce. And it's creating a feedback loop of madness.

I was talking to a friend last Tuesday—let's call him Marcus—about this. He's a data scientist, so he actually understands this stuff. "It's not just social media," he told me. "It's the news sites too. They're all optimized for the same thing: keeping you on the page for as long as possible." Which... yeah. Fair enough.

But here's the thing: we're not just passive participants in this. We're active collaborators. Every time we click, every time we share, every time we engage with that outrage, we're telling the algorithm, "More. Give me more." And it obliges. Oh, it obliges.

So What Do We Do?

I don't have all the answers. Honestly, I'm not sure anyone does. But I think—no, I know—we need to start being more intentional about how we consume news. And how we produce it.

For starters, we need to stop relying on social media for our news. It's not a reliable source. It's a echo chamber. A bubble. A... well, you get the picture. Instead, we should be seeking out trusted sources. Doing our own research. Reading long-form journalism. Supporting local news. (And if you're in Vegas, check out the Las Vegas entertainment events agenda for a start.)

And for those of us in the business? We need to start valuing quality over quantity. We need to slow down. To think. To report. To actually do journalism. It's not about being first anymore. It's about being right.

A Tangent: The Death of Local News

Speaking of local news, have you noticed how many local newspapers have shut down? It's a crisis. A quiet one, but a crisis nonetheless. And it's not just about losing a source of news. It's about losing a sense of community. A sense of shared reality. (I mean, have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who only watches Fox News or only reads The New York Times? It's like talking to a wall.)

I was at this little coffee shop on 5th last week, and the owner, Linda, was complaining about how she can't keep up with the news anymore. "It's too much," she said. "I don't know what's real and what's not." And that's the thing—neither do I, Linda. Neither do I.

But There's Hope

Look, I'm not saying we're doomed. Far from it. I've seen glimmers of hope. I've seen people pushing back against the noise. Against the outrage. Against the madness.

There's this podcast I listen to—"The Daily" by The New York Times. It's not perfect, but it's a start. It's a return to actual reporting. To storytelling. To journalism. And it's popular. People are listening. People are engaging. And that gives me hope.

So let's start there. Let's support the outlets that are doing it right. Let's share their work. Let's engage with it. Let's tell the algorithm, "This is what we want more of." Because honestly, the future of news is up to us. And I, for one, am not ready to give up on it just yet.

About the Author
Sarah Mitchell has been a journalist for over two decades, working for publications like the Austin Chronicle and the Houston Press. She's a staunch advocate for quality journalism and has a soft spot for local news. When she's not writing, you can find her at the dog park with her rescue mutt, Buster.