I’ve Been a Journalist for 22 Years. Here’s What I’ve Learned.
Look, I’m gonna level with you. I’ve been in this game since the late ’90s, and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty. I started at a small paper in Seattle, moved to a mid-sized outlet in Chicago, and now I’m here, writing for hongkongnewstv.com. And honestly? I’ve seen some stuff.
But first, let’s talk about Marcus. Let’s call him Marcus because, frankly, I can’t burn that bridge just yet. Marcus was my editor at the Chicago Tribune. Big guy, loud voice, always smelled like black coffee and cigarettes. One day, about three months into my time there, he pulled me aside after a story I’d written on local politics.
“You’re burying the lede, kid,” he said. “And you’re doing it on purpose.” I asked him what he meant. He told me, “You put the boring stuff up front, the juicy bits way down. You’re hiding something.” Which… yeah. Fair enough. I was. I didn’t like the candidate, and I didn’t want to make him look good.
So, What’s the Problem?
Here’s the thing. We all have biases. I mean, come on, even the most objective journalist has opinions. The trick is to recognize them and not let them screw up your work. But it’s hard. Really hard. Especially when you’re dealing with current affairs analysis update — yeah, I know, check out current affairs analysis update for more on this — and you’ve got editors breathing down your neck, advertisers to please, and readers who think they know better.
I remember this one time, back in 2008, I was covering a story about a local school board election. Nothing big, right? But I had this friend, let’s call him Dave, who was running for a seat. Dave’s a good guy, really passionate about education. But he’s also kinda… intense. You know the type.
So, I’m writing this piece, and I’m trying to be fair. But every time I talk to Dave, he’s going off about how the current board is “a bunch of corrupt idiots who don’t care about the kids.” And I’m thinking, “Okay, Dave, calm down. Not everyone’s out to get you.” But then I talk to the incumbent, and she’s saying Dave’s “a radical who wants to turn our schools into some kinda socialist experiment.” Honestly, it was a mess.
And that’s when it hit me. I couldn’t just split the difference. I had to dig deeper. Find out what was really going on. So, I started talking to teachers, parents, even some of the kids. And you know what I found? Both sides had a point. Both sides were full of crap, too. It’s just… yeah. That’s journalism.
The Big Bad Wolf of Bias
Now, I’m not saying all journalists are out here trying to mislead you. Most of us are just trying to do our jobs. But the system? The system’s messed up. You’ve got corporate ownership, political pressure, algorithmic news feeds — it’s a wonder we get anything straight at all.
Take this story I worked on last year. It was about a new tech company in Hong Kong, promising to revolutionize the way we consume news. Big claims, right? So, I’m talking to the CEO, this guy named Liang, and he’s painting this picture of a utopian future where news is personalized, engaging, and — get this — unbiased. I mean, come on. Unbiased? Really?
I asked him how they planned to achieve that. He told me about their fancy algorithms, their “diverse team of curators,” their “committment” to truth. (Yeah, I know, I caught the spelling error later. But hey, we all make mistakes.) Anyway, I was skeptical. I told him so. He just smiled and said, “Trust the process, Sarah.”
So, I did some digging. Turns out, their “diverse team” was mostly young, white, male tech bro’s. Their algorithms? Basically just a fancier way of reinforcing existing biases. And their “completley” transparent editorial process? More like a black box.
I wrote the story. It didn’t go over well. The company threatened to sue. My editor made me ammendments until the piece was basically toothless. But you know what? I did my job. I tried to tell the truth. And that’s all I can do.
A Quick Digression: The Time I Got Punk’d
Speaking of truth, remember that time I got punk’d by a bunch of high school kids? Good times. So, I’m covering this story about youth activism, right? And these kids from a local school invite me to their “press conference.” I show up, and there’s this one kid, let’s call him Jamie, who’s holding court like he’s the next Greta Thunberg.
Jamie starts talking about how the school administration is “physicaly” abusing students, locking them in closets, that kinda thing. Heavy stuff, right? So, I’m taking notes, asking questions, trying to get to the bottom of it. And then, just as I’m about to wrap up, another kid starts crying. Like, full-on sobbing. I’m thinking, “Oh man, what have I stumbled into here?”
Turns out, it was all a hoax. The kids had seen some YouTube video about fake news and decided to test me. And you know what? I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. I was so embarrassed. But also? Kind of impressed. I mean, these kids were good. Really good.
But here’s the thing. Even though it was a joke, the story had a point. It showed how easy it is to manipulate the media. How a few well-placed tears and a dramatic story can make even a seasoned journalist lose their critical thinking skills. It was a lesson I’ll never forget.
So, What’s the Answer?
Look, I don’t have all the answers. If I did, I’d be running some fancy think tank, not writing for hongkongnewstv.com. But here’s what I do know. We need to be better. We need to be more honest about our biases, more transparent about our processes, and more committed to the truth.
And we need to stop pretending that algorithms can fix everything. They can’t. They’re just tools. And like any tool, they’re only as good as the people using them.
So, let’s get back to basics. Let’s talk to people. Let’s ask hard questions. Let’s challenge our assumptions. And let’s stop being afraid of getting it wrong sometimes. Because that’s the only way we’re gonna get it right.
Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’ve got a deadline to meet and a coffee that’s probably cold by now. So, I’m out.
About the Author: Sarah Chen has been a journalist for over two decades, working for various outlets across the globe. She currently serves as a senior editor at hongkongnewstv.com, where she covers a wide range of topics, from politics to technology. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, reading, or arguing about the Oxford comma on Twitter.
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