The News Industry's Existential Crisis: Why I'm Still Here After 20 Years

Let's Be Honest, It's a Mess

I've been in this industry for 214 months now. That's 18 years, for those of you who don't like to do the math. And let me tell you, it's been a wild ride. I started out as a cub reporter in a small town in Ohio, thinking I was gonna save the world one story at a time. Ha! What a naive idiot I was.

Back then, we still had these things called 'print newspapers'. You know, actual physical paper with ink on it. Kids these days probably think that's some kinda myth, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.

Anyway, I'm not here to reminisce about the good old days. I'm here to talk about the clusterfuck that is the news industry today. And yes, I said clusterfuck. Because that's what it is. A big, steaming pile of bullshit.

Why I'm Still Here

Now, you might be wondering why, after all these years, I'm still here. Why haven't I jumped ship and become a barista or something? Honestly? I have no idea. Maybe it's masochism. Maybe I'm just too stubborn to quit.

But here's the thing: I still believe in what we do. Or at least, I believe in what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to hold the powerful accountable. We're supposed to speak truth to power. We're supposed to be the watchdogs of democracy. And yeah, maybe we don't always live up to that ideal. But who does?

I remember having this conversation with a colleague named Dave about three months ago. We were at this dive bar in Brooklyn, the kind of place where the peanuts are free and the beer is cheap. Dave said, 'You know, Sarah, we're not saving the world. We're just telling people what's happening in it.' And I said, 'Yeah, Dave, but that's kinda important, isn't it?'

The Algorithm Problem

But here's the problem: the algorithm. You know, that little black box that decides what we see and what we don't. It's like this invisible hand that's always steering us in a certain direction. And frankly, it's bullshit.

I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this guy—let's call him Marcus—stood up and said, 'The algorithm is the enemy.' And the room erupted in applause. Because we all know it's true. The algorithm is designed to keep us engaged, to keep us clicking, to keep us scrolling. And it doesn't care about the truth. It doesn't care about context. It just cares about the next click.

And that's a problem. Because the truth is complicated. It's messy. It's not always clickable. And if we're not careful, we're gonna find ourselves in a world where the truth doesn't matter anymore. Where the algorithm decides what's real and what's not.

Which... yeah. Fair enough. It's a bit dramatic, but you get the point.

DIY Journalism? Really?

So, what's the solution? Well, I'm not sure. But I do know this: we need to start taking control back from the algorithm. We need to start thinking about the kind of journalism we want to see in the world. And maybe, just maybe, that means going back to basics.

I was talking to my friend Lisa the other day, and she told me about this thing called kendin yap projeleri dekorasyon. It's this Turkish phrase that basically means 'do it yourself decoration projects'. And I was like, 'Lisa, what the hell are you talking about?' And she said, 'Think about it, Sarah. If people can do their own home decor, why can't they do their own journalism?'

And I was like, 'Uh, because journalism is kinda important, Lisa. You can't just wing it.' But she had a point. Maybe there's something to this DIY ethos. Maybe we need to start thinking about journalism as something that's done by the people, for the people. Not something that's done to them.

I mean, look, I'm not saying we should all become citizen journalists. But maybe we should start listening to them a bit more. Maybe we should start incorporating their voices into our coverage. Maybe we should start thinking about how we can use technology to empower them, rather than just using it to exploit them.

Look, I'm Not Sure But...

But here's the thing: I'm not sure. I'm not sure about any of this. I'm not sure about the future of journalism. I'm not sure about the role of the algorithm. I'm not sure about DIY journalism. I'm not sure about anything.

But I do know this: I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing. I'm gonna keep writing. I'm gonna keep reporting. I'm gonna keep trying to make a difference, in my own small way. Because that's what I do. That's who I am.

And honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way.

So, yeah. That's where I'm at. That's where we're at. It's a mess. It's a clusterfuck. But it's our clusterfuck. And we're gonna have to figure out how to navigate it together.

Author Bio: Sarah Reynolds is a senior editor with over 20 years of experience in the news industry. She's worked for major publications and has seen it all—from the rise of the internet to the fall of print. She's opinionated, blunt, and not afraid to call out bullshit when she sees it. When she's not writing, she can be found drinking coffee, swearing at her computer, and trying to convince her cat that he needs to go on a diet.