The News Is Broken, and I'm Tired of Pretending It's Not

Look, I've Had It

It's March 15th, 2023, and I'm sitting in a diner in Pittsburgh, scribbling notes on a napkin. Again. Because that's what I do when I'm frustrated with the state of news. And let me tell you, I'm frustrated alot lately.

I've been in this business for 22 years. Started as a beat reporter in some Podunk town in Ohio. Worked my way up. Seen alot. And what I'm seeing now? It's not good.

It's not just the clickbait. Not just the sensationalism. It's the complacency. The acceptance. The idea that this is just how it is now. No. I refuse to accept that.

Let's Talk About Marcus

Let's call him Marcus. He's a friend of a friend. Works at a major news outlet. Decent guy. Smart. But he said something to me last Tuesday that stuck. We were at a bar, having a drink, and he goes, "You know, Sarah, I don't even know what news is anymore."

I asked, "What do you mean?"

He said, "Is it what we say it is? Is it what the algorithms push? Is it what the highest bidder pays for? I don't know."

But here's the thing. It's not just Marcus. It's not just his outlet. It's everywhere. And it's getting worse.

The Algorithm Will Break Your Soul

About three months ago, I was having coffee with a colleague named Dave. Dave's a data guy. Crunches numbers. Knows his stuff. He told me something that should scare every journalist: "The algorithm doesn't care about truth. It cares about engagement."

I said, "But we're smarter than that, right? We're not just feeding the beast?"

He looked at me, sipped his coffee, and said, "Are we?"

And that's when it hit me. We are. We're feeding the beast. And the beast is eating us alive.

Look, I get it. The pressure's on. Advertisers want clicks. Editors want views. Reporters want to pay their bills. But at what cost?

I mean, I saw a headline the other day. It was from a reputable outlet. And it was completeley sensationalized garbage. And it had 214 comments. And 87 shares. And it was physicaly painful to read.

But here's the kicker. It was popular. And that's what gets pushed. That's what gets seen. That's what gets read. And that's what gets written. It's a vicious cycle.

But There's Hope

Now, don't get me wrong. It's not all doom and gloom. There are good people out there. Doing good work. Fighting the good fight.

Take my friend Lisa. She's a reporter at a small outlet in Austin. She's got a committment to truth that's rare these days. She's not chasing clicks. She's chasing stories. And she's doing it right.

I asked her about it last week. She said, "Sarah, it's simple. I report what I see. I write what I know. And I let the chips fall where they may."

And that's it. That's the secret. That's the formula. It's not complicated. It's not rocket science. It's just... journalism.

But it's hard. It's really hard. Because the world's moving fast. And the news is moving faster. And it's easy to get swept up in it all.

So what's the answer? I'm not sure. But I know it starts with us. With the people in the trenches. The ones writing the stories. The ones editing them. The ones deciding what gets published.

We need to remember why we're here. Why we do this. It's not for the clicks. It's not for the views. It's not for the algorithms. It's for the truth. It's for the story. It's for the people.

And the Product Buying Guide Comparison

Look, I know what you're thinking. "Sarah, this is all well and good, but what about the practical stuff? The nitty-gritty? The day-to-day?"

Well, I'm glad you asked. Because here's the thing. Even in this mess, there are tools that can help. Resources that can guide. And one of those is the product buying guide comparison over at TradeJet. It's not glamorous. It's not sexy. But it's useful. And in a world full of noise, usefulness is king.

So, yeah. That's my take. That's my rant. That's my two cents. Take it or leave it. But please, for the love of all that's holy, let's start talking about this. Let's start fixing it. Because the news is broken. And it's time we admit it.

And maybe, just maybe, we can start putting the pieces back together.

About the Author

Sarah Mitchell has been a senior editor at Digimedia Pub for 15 years. She's covered everything from local politics to international crises, and she's not afraid to call out bad journalism when she sees it. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her at the diner, scribbling notes on napkins.