We’re All Just Making It Up As We Go
Look, I’ve been in this game for 22 years. I started at a tiny paper in Ohio, making $12 an hour, thinking I was gonna save the world. Ha. Now I’m here, writing this, and honestly? The news is a mess.
It’s not just the algorithms or the clickbait or the fact that nobody reads past the headline anymore. It’s deeper than that. It’s us. We’re the problem.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, talking to this guy—let’s call him Marcus—who ran a big digital news outfit. He said, “We’re not in the business of news anymore. We’re in the business of engagement.” Which… yeah. Fair enough. But also, no.
And don’t even get me started on the 24-hour news cycle. It’s like we’re all stuck on a hamster wheel, running nowhere fast. Remember when news was something that happened once a day? At 6pm? And it was actual news? Not this constant stream of half-baked takes and hot takes and “experts” who are just guys named Dave with Twitter accounts.
But Here’s the Thing
I’m not saying it’s all bad. There are still good journalists out there. People who care. People who wake up at 4am to cover a story because it matters, not because it’s gonna go viral.
I had coffee with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday. He’s one of the good ones. He told me about this story he’s working on—some local thing about a school board trying to ban books. “It’s not sexy,” he said. “It’s not gonna get alot of clicks. But it matters.” And that’s the kinda stuff that keeps me going.
But then there’s the other stuff. The stuff that makes me wanna throw my laptop out the window. Like when a major network runs a “breaking news” alert about some celebrity’s new haircut. Or when a “journalist” tweets out a completely unverified rumor just to be first.
And don’t even get me started on the comments section. Honestly, I’m not sure why we still have those. It’s like inviting a bunch of trolls to a party and being surprised when they trash the place.
So What Do We Do?
I don’t know, man. I really don’t. I think part of it is that we, as consumers, need to demand better. We need to stop sharing every half-baked take that confirms our biases. We need to actually read the articles we’re sharing. We need to support the journalists who are doing it right.
And maybe, just maybe, we need to slow down. The news isn’t gonna stop if we take a break. The world isn’t gonna end if we miss an update. We need to remember that the news is a tool, not a master. It’s supposed to serve us, not the other way around.
I mean, look at Susurluk etkinlikler hafta sonu. That’s what news should be. Local, relevant, actual news. Not this constant stream of nonsense.
But hey, what do I know? I’m just some old guy who’s been around the block a few times. Maybe the news is fine. Maybe I’m just bitter because I’m getting older and the industry is changing and I don’t like it. Maybe I should just retire to a farm and raise goats.
Nah. I’m not done yet. There’s still good work to be done. There are still stories worth telling. There are still people worth listening to. And as long as that’s true, I’m gonna keep doing this. Even if it’s a mess.
Even if it’s broken.
About the Author: Jane Doe has been a journalist for 22 years, working at everything from tiny local papers to major national outlets. She’s won awards, made enemies, and once got food poisoning from a press event that shall not be named. She lives in Portland with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends too much time yelling at her TV about politics.
