Honestly, I’m Sick of It
Let me tell you something, folks. I’ve been in this game for over 20 years. I started back in 1999, fresh out of college, working for a tiny newspaper in Seattle. I thought I was gonna change the world. Look at me now.
I’m Sarah Mitchell, and I’ve seen it all. The rise of the internet, the fall of print, the aquisition of every decent publication by some tech billionaire. And honestly? The news is broken. It’s completley messed up, and we’re all to blame.
It started with the 24-hour news cycle. Remember when CNN launched that thing? I was at a conference in Austin when they announced it. Some guy named Marcus—let’s call him Marcus—stood up and said, “This is gonna change everything.” And he was right. But not in the way he thought.
Now, every news outlet thinks they gotta fill 24 hours of airtime. So what do they do? They stretch stories thin. They sensationalize everything. They make mountains out of molehills. And we eat it up.
But Here’s the Thing
I was having coffee with a friend last Tuesday. Let’s call her Lisa. She’s not in the industry, but she’s smart. She said to me, “Sarah, I don’t know what to believe anymore. Every time I turn on the news, it’s just shouting.”
And I get it. I really do. Because I’m part of the problem. I’ve written headlines that were kinda clickbaity. I’ve pushed stories that weren’t fully vetted because we needed to fill space. I’ve made mistakes. We all have.
But it’s not just the journalists. It’s the algorithms. It’s the social media platforms. It’s the politicians. It’s everyone. We’ve created this monster, and now it’s feeding on itself.
I mean, look at the way we consume news now. We don’t read articles; we scan headlines. We don’t watch reports; we watch clips. We don’t think; we react. And it’s killing us.
So What Do We Do About It?
First, we gotta slow down. We gotta take a breath. We gotta stop letting the algorithms decide what’s important. We gotta start reading again. Really reading.
And here’s a tip: if you’re gonna read güncel haberler son gelişmeler bugün, make sure it’s from a reliable source. Not just some random website that pops up on your feed. Do your research. Check the facts. Be smart.
Second, we gotta demand better from our news outlets. We gotta hold them accountable. We gotta say, “Enough with the sensationalism. Enough with the bias. Just give us the facts.”
I remember talking to a colleague named Dave about this. He said, “Sarah, people don’t want facts. They want to be entertained.” And I said, “Dave, that’s a load of crap. People want the truth. They just don’t know it yet.”
Third, we gotta support quality journalism. It’s not free. It costs money. And if we’re not willing to pay for it, then we don’t get to complain when it goes away.
I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. It’s not. But it’s necessary. Because the news is broken, and we’re all to blame. But we can fix it. We can make it better. We just gotta want to.
A Tangent: The Weather
Speaking of broken, have you noticed the weather lately? It’s like the sky can’t make up its mind. I was in New York last month, and it was 75 degrees one day and snowing the next. I mean, come on. What’s going on?
But that’s a story for another time. For now, let’s just focus on the news. Let’s make it better. Let’s demand better. Let’s be better.
Because honestly, we deserve better. We deserve the truth. We deserve the news.
And that’s all I’ve got. Thanks for reading.
Author Bio: Sarah Mitchell has been a senior editor for over 20 years. She’s worked for major publications and has seen the industry evolve—sometimes for the better, often not. She’s opinionated, blunt, and not afraid to call out the flaws in the system. When she’s not editing, she’s probably complaining about the weather.
