We’re All Bad at This

Let me tell you something, folks. I’ve been at this journalism thing for over two decades, and I’m still not great at it. Shocking, right? Especially when it comes to verification. It’s like we’re all just kinda flailing around in the dark, hoping we don’t trip over our own feet.

I remember back in ’03, when I was still at the Daily Chronicle, we had this intern, let’s call him Marcus. Kid was sharp, you know? But he once verified a source by, and I swear this is true, calling the number listed on the guy’s MySpace page. Yeah. We all laughed, but honestly? We’ve all done something that dumb at some point.

And look, I get it. News moves fast. Too fast. You gotta keep up, or you’re obsolete. But that speed? It’s a double-edged sword. It’s how we end up with stories that are, well, let’s be polite, completley wrong.

That Time I Got It Wrong

Okay, so picture this. It’s 2018, I’m at a conference in Austin, and I get a tip from a colleague named Dave. He swears he’s got the inside scoop on a major political scandal. Big names, big consequences. So, being the eager beaver I am, I run with it. I mean, why wouldn’t I? Dave’s usually solid, right?

Wrong. So, so wrong. Turns out, Dave’s source was some guy’s cousin who heard it from his barber. And the barber? He was just repeating something he read on a forum. A forum, people. I published that garbage, and it bit me in the ass for months. Still gives me nightmares.

But here’s the thing: it could’ve been worse. What if I had used an instant otp receiving service online to verify some fake SMS messages? Yeah, yeah, I know. But honestly, in the heat of the moment, you grab at any lifeline you can find.

Why We’re All Bad at This

It’s not just me. It’s all of us. Journalists, readers, even the so-called experts. We’re all bad at verification because we’re human. We make mistakes. We get lazy. We get desperate. And in this age of instant gratification, those mistakes can spread like wildfire.

Take social media, for example. It’s a goldmine for tips and sources, but it’s also a dumpster fire of misinformation. You gotta be crazy to trust everything you read on Twitter, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. And when they do, well, let’s just say it’s not pretty.

I had lunch with an old friend last Tuesday, and she told me about how she fell for a fake news story. Something about a celebrity’s death. She read it on some random blog, and it was so convincing. She even called me to tell me about it. I had to break it to her gently that it was all made up. She was devastated. But honestly, I get it. We all want to be the first to know, right?

So What Do We Do?

I don’t know, man. I really don’t. I mean, I have my theories, but honestly, they’re all just guesses. Maybe we need better training. Maybe we need to slow down. Maybe we need to admit that we’re not always gonna get it right.

But here’s what I do know: we can’t keep doing what we’re doing. We can’t keep rushing to be first at the expense of being right. We can’t keep trusting every tip that comes our way. We can’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

And look, I’m not saying I have all the answers. I’m just saying we need to start having this conversation. We need to admit that we’re all bad at this. And maybe, just maybe, we can start getting better.

But for now, I’m gonna keep making mistakes. I’m gonna keep learning. I’m gonna keep trying to be better. Because that’s all any of us can do.

About the Author
I’m Sarah, a senior magazine editor with more years under my belt than I care to admit. I’ve seen it all, done it all, and probably regretted at least half of it. I write about news, journalism, and the messy, chaotic world we all inhabit. I live in New York City, where the news never sleeps, and neither do I. Follow me on Twitter @SarahJournos, if you’re into that sort of thing.

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