We’ve Got a Problem, Folks
Look, I’ve been in this business for 22 years. I started at a tiny paper in Jersey, moved to a mid-sized outfit in Chicago, and now I’m here in NYC. I’ve seen a lot. And honestly? The news is broken.
It’s not just the obvious stuff—fake news, clickbait, all that. It’s deeper than that. It’s in the bones of how we do things. And I’m sick of pretending it’s not.
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin (yes, I know, another conference). There was this panel—smart people, big names—and they were talking about ‘the future of journalism.’ Blah blah blah. I mean, really? We’re still talking about ‘the future’ like it’s some distant thing? It’s here. It’s now. And it’s a mess.
Let Me Tell You About Marcus
Let’s call him Marcus. He’s a kid—well, not a kid, but younger than me—who works at a digital news site. Bright guy, really gets it. We were grabbing coffee at this place on 5th, and he’s telling me about his day. ‘You know,’ he says, ‘I spent 87% of my time today just trying to get people to read our stuff.’
87%. Think about that. That’s not journalism. That’s marketing. That’s not reporting. That’s begging.
I asked him, ‘What about the actual news?’ He looked at me like I was speaking Greek. ‘What about it?’ he said. ‘We gotta get eyes on the page first.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But is that really what we’re here for? To get ‘eyes on the page’?
The Algorithm Is Eating Our Souls
Here’s the thing. The algorithm doesn’t care about the news. It cares about engagement. It cares about clicks. It cares about time on page. And so, we’re all dancing to its tune.
I had this conversation with a colleague named Dave. Dave’s a good guy, been around awhile. He’s seen the shift. ‘It’s not about informing anymore,’ he told me. ‘It’s about entertaining. It’s about keeping them there.’
And I get it. I do. We need to make money. We need to pay the bills. But at what cost? When does it stop being news and start being… I don’t know, infotainment?
I mean, look at the headlines. They’re all screaming, all sensational. It’s like we’re all trying to out-shock each other. And it’s working. People are reading. But are they informed? Or are they just… amused?
But What Can We Do?
So, what’s the answer? I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. But I know it’s not this. It’s not chasing clicks. It’s not begging for attention. It’s not letting the algorithm dictate what’s important.
I think—well, I hope—it’s about going back to basics. It’s about telling the truth, even when it’s not pretty. Even when it’s not fun. Even when it doesn’t get the clicks.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s about giving people some credit. Maybe they’re not just looking for the next thrill. Maybe they actually want to know what’s going on in the world. Maybe they actually care.
I remember talking to this woman, let’s call her Sarah, at a barbecue about three months ago. She’s not in the business. She’s just a regular person. And she’s telling me, ‘I just want to know what’s true. I don’t want the spin. I don’t want the drama. I just want the facts.’
And I thought, yeah. That’s it. That’s what we should be giving them.
But how? How do we break out of this cycle? How do we stop dancing to the algorithm’s tune? I wish I had the answer. I really do.
And Then There’s the Other Thing
You know, I was gonna write about something else entirely today. Something about how we need to be better at covering local news. How we need to commit—committment, damn it—to our communities. How we need to actually talk to people, not just tweet at them.
But then I got thinking about all this other stuff. About the algorithm. About the clicks. About the mess we’re in. And I thought, nah. Let’s talk about that instead.
Because that’s the real issue, isn’t it? That’s the thing that’s eating away at us. That’s the thing that’s making us forget why we got into this business in the first place.
So, yeah. The news is broken. And I’m tired of pretending it’s not. I’m tired of dancing to the algorithm’s tune. I’m tired of chasing clicks. I’m tired of the mess.
But I’m not tired of the news. I’m not tired of telling the truth. I’m not tired of informing people. I’m not tired of the job. Just the way we’re doing it.
And hey, if you’re looking for some practical advice on how to deal with all this, I don’t know. Maybe check out yaşam tarzı günlük gelişim ipuçları. I mean, I don’t know what that is, but it sounds like it might help. Or something.
About the Author: Jane Doe is a senior editor at New York City’s News. She’s been in the business for 22 years and has seen it all. She’s opinionated, blunt, and not afraid to call it like she sees it. She lives in Brooklyn with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends too much time yelling at her TV about the state of the news.
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