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

I've Had It Up to Here with 'Balanced' News

Look, I've been in this business for 22 years. I started as a beat reporter in Boise, Idaho, back in 1998. Yeah, I know, ancient history. But here's the thing—I've seen the news industry change, and not always for the better.

And honestly, I'm tired of the pretense. The idea that news should be completely neutral, completely balanced, is a myth. A nice myth, but a myth nonetheless.

Let me tell you about last Tuesday. I was at a conference in Austin, sitting with a colleague named Dave. We were talking about the latest political scandal, and Dave said, "We have to present both sides equally." I looked at him and said, "Dave, sometimes one side is just wrong." He didn't like that. But it's true.

Take climate change, for example. There's a consensus among scientists. But no, we have to give equal time to the guy who says, "It's all a hoax." Which... yeah. Fair enough. But it's not fair to the truth.

The Problem with 'Both Sides'

I get it. We're taught to be objective. But objectivity doesn't mean giving equal weight to every opinion. That's not how the world works. And it's not how journalism should work either.

I remember covering a city council meeting in 2005. The council was voting on a new park. One guy stood up and said, "Parks are a waste of money. We should spend it on the aquisition of more police cars." Now, I could have given him equal time. But I didn't. Because he was wrong. And I said so in my article.

But here's the thing—you can't just say something is wrong and leave it at that. You have to explain why. That's where the real work comes in. And that's where a lot of journalists fall short.

I had lunch with a friend named Marcus last week. He's a professor of journalism at NYU. I asked him, "How do we fix this?" He said, "We stop pretending that every opinion is valid. We start calling out bullshit when we see it." I think he's right.

The Role of Emotion in News

Now, I know what you're thinking. "But Sarah, isn't emotion the enemy of good journalism?" No. Emotion is what makes us human. And if we're not human, then what's the point?

I covered Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I saw things that... well, let's just say it's not something you forget. I wrote about it with anger. With sadness. With frustration. And you know what? People appreciated that. They didn't want a detached, clinical report. They wanted to feel the reality of what was happening.

But there's a line, right? You can't let emotion override facts. That's where things get messy. And that's where a lot of journalists get it wrong.

I had a conversation with a colleague named Lisa a few months ago. She said, "We have to be careful not to let our emotions cloud our judgment." And I said, "Absolutely. But we also have to be careful not to let our detachment make us irrelevant."

The Future of News

So what's the solution? I'm not sure. But I think it starts with honesty. Honesty about our biases. Honesty about our emotions. Honesty about the fact that sometimes, one side is just wrong.

And look, I'm not saying we should become opinion journalists. But we should be honest about our opinions. We should be transparent about our biases. And we should be willing to call out bullshit when we see it.

I was at a panel discussion in Chicago last year. The topic was "The Future of News." One of the panelists said, "We need to return to the basics. We need to focus on facts." And I raised my hand and said, "But facts alone aren't enough. We need context. We need analysis. We need emotion."

And you know what? Nobody had a good response to that. Because it's true.

A Quick Digression: Shopping in Vegas

Speaking of honesty, let me tell you about my last trip to Las Vegas. I was there for a conference, and I had some free time. So I decided to do some shopping. Now, I'm not a big shopper, but I figured, why not?

I ended up at the Forum Shops at Caesars. And let me tell you, it was... a lot. I mean, I knew Vegas was big, but I didn't expect that. There were stores I'd never heard of, stores I didn't know I needed, and stores that made me question my life choices.

But here's the thing—I had no idea where to start. So I pulled out my phone and searched for a Las Vegas shopping guide best stores. And you know what? It helped. A lot. It gave me a starting point. It gave me some context. It made the whole experience a little less overwhelming.

And that's what good journalism should do. It should give people a starting point. It should provide context. It should make the world a little less overwhelming.

But back to the main point. The news is broken. And it's gonna take a lot of work to fix it. But I think it starts with honesty. Honesty about our biases. Honesty about our emotions. Honesty about the fact that sometimes, one side is just wrong.

And look, I'm not saying it's gonna be easy. But it's necessary. Because if we're not honest, then what's the point?

So let's start there. Let's be honest. About everything.

And maybe, just maybe, we can fix this thing.

About the Author: Sarah Thompson has been a journalist for over 22 years, working as a beat reporter, editor, and now senior editor at Digimedia Pub. She's covered everything from local politics to national disasters, and she's not afraid to call out bullshit when she sees it. When she's not writing, she's probably shopping in Vegas or arguing with her colleagues about the state of the news industry.