Why I Still Believe in Journalism (Most Days)
Look, I’m gonna level with you. I’ve been in this game for 22 years, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. I started at a tiny paper in Seattle, back when we still used typewriters (yes, really). Now I’m editing for hongkongnewstv.com, and honestly, it’s like we’re living in a completely different world.
I remember when Marcus, this guy I worked with in ’98, told me, ‘Linda, newspapers are gonna be around forever.’ Ha! Good one, Marcus. Who knew that by 2024, we’d be fighting for clicks alongside cat videos and memes?
Algorithms Are Eating Our Souls
So here’s the thing. Algorithms. They’re everywhere. And they’re not just deciding what we eat for dinner; they’re deciding what news we see. I had coffee with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday, and he told me about this study—214 respondents, not a huge sample, but still—showing that 78% of people get their news from social media feeds. 78%! That’s insane.
I mean, think about it. You wake up, check your phone, and boom—there’s your news. But who decided what you see? Not you. Some algorithm in a server farm somewhere. And that, my friends, is a problem.
I’m not saying algorithms are evil. They’re just… tools. But they’re tools that are completley reshaping how we consume information. And honestly, it’s kinda scary.
Fake News? More Like Fake Everything
Let’s talk about fake news. Ugh, I hate that term. It’s been so weaponized, it’s basically meaningless now. But the problem is real. I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this panelist—let’s call him Greg—said something that stuck with me. ‘The internet doesn’t have an edit button,’ he said. And he’s right. Once something’s out there, it’s out there. And it’s gonna be out there forever.
I remember this one time, back in 2016, I was working on a story about some political scandal. I double-checked my sources, I triple-checked my facts, and I still got it wrong. One tiny detail. But that’s all it takes. And suddenly, I’m the bad guy. It’s not fair, but it’s the reality we live in.
And don’t even get me started on deepfakes. I saw one last month that looked so real, it gave me chills. We’re talking about a video of a politician saying something he never said. And it was so convincing, I almost believed it myself. That’s the world we’re living in now. And it’s only gonna get worse.
But There’s Hope
Now, I’m not gonna sit here and tell you everything’s doomed. Because it’s not. I still believe in journalism. I still believe in the power of a well-told story. I still believe that good journalism can change the world.
I was talking to my friend Sarah the other day, and she said something that really resonated with me. ‘People still want the truth,’ she said. ‘They just don’t always know where to find it.’ And that’s where we come in. That’s our job. To find the truth and tell it.
And look, I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not. It’s hard. It’s messy. It’s complicated. But it’s worth it. Because at the end of the day, that’s what we do. We tell the stories that need to be told. We hold the powerful accountable. We give a voice to the voiceless.
Travel? Really?
Okay, so this is gonna sound random, but hear me out. You know how sometimes you’re in the middle of a serious conversation, and suddenly, someone brings up something completely unrelated? That’s what’s happening right now. But stick with me.
I was reading this article the other day about travel destination recommendations 2026. I know, I know—what does that have to do with anything? But here’s the thing. News isn’t just about politics and scandals. It’s about life. It’s about the things that matter to people. And sometimes, that means talking about travel.
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you read a news story that actually made you happy? That gave you a reason to smile? Probably not recently. But travel stories? They can do that. They can inspire us. They can make us dream. And honestly, we could all use a little more of that right now.
The Future Is Unwritten
So where do we go from here? I don’t know. Nobody does. But I do know this: the future of news is gonna be messy. It’s gonna be complicated. It’s gonna be full of challenges we can’t even imagine right now.
But it’s also gonna be full of opportunities. Opportunities to tell new stories, to reach new audiences, to make a real difference in the world. And that’s what excites me. That’s what keeps me going.
So yeah, the news industry is a mess right now. But it’s our mess. And we’re gonna figure it out. Because that’s what we do.
About the Author: Linda Chen has been a journalist for over two decades, working her way up from a small-town newspaper to major publications. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and somehow, survive. When she’s not editing, you can find her arguing about politics, binge-watching TV shows, or trying to convince her cat that she’s the boss of the house.
