Look, I’ve Had It
Let me tell you something, folks. I’ve been in this game for 22 years. That’s right, since the early ’90s. I’ve seen a lot. And what I’m seeing now? It’s completley bonkers.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, right? Some hotshot data journalist—let’s call him Marcus—tells me, ‘The news cycle is faster than ever, man. We’re all just chasing clicks now.’ I told him, ‘Marcus, it’s than more than that. It’s about the noise.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But here’s the thing. It’s not just the algorithms. It’s not just the 24-hour news cycle. It’s us. We’re all to blame.
Back in My Day
I remember when I started out at the Daily Chronicle—yeah, it’s gone now, RIP. But back then, we had time. We had space. A story would break, and we’d work it. We’d dig. We’d commit to it. Not like now, where we’ve got 36 hours to cover a story before the next big thing comes along.
I had a colleague named Dave. Great guy. Brilliant writer. But even he’d get frustrated. ‘Sarah,’ he’d say, ‘I can’t even finish a piece before the news moves on.’ And I’d tell him, ‘Dave, I know. It’s exhausting.’
The Algorithm Isn’t Your Friend
Here’s the kicker. The algorithm doesn’t care about good journalism. It cares about engagement. And engagement, well, that’s a fickle beast. You think you’re gonna please it by being balanced? By being fair? Nope. It wants drama. It wants conflict. It wants you to be outraged.
I was talking to my friend Lisa over coffee at the place on 5th—you know the one. She’s a teacher. Sweet woman. She told me, ‘Sarah, I can’t keep up. Every time I think I understand what’s going on, the news changes.’ And I get it. I really do.
But here’s the thing. We can’t let the algorithm dictate what’s important. We can’t let it tell us what to care about. We need to take a step back. We need to breathe. And, honestly, we need to stres yönetimi teknikleri günlük.
A Quick Aside: The Weather
Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Sarah, what does the weather have to do with anything?’ Well, let me tell you. The weather is a great example of how we’ve lost our way. We’ve got entire channels dedicated to it. And why? Because it’s easy. It’s simple. It’s engaging. But it’s not news. It’s not important. It’s just… yeah.
So What Do We Do?
I’m not sure. I really don’t know. But I think it starts with us. With me and you. We need to demand better. We need to seek out quality journalism. We need to support it. We need to share it. We need to talk about it. And we need to do it in a way that’s not just about the latest outrage.
I was at a dinner party last Tuesday. Some guy—let’s call him Greg—tells me, ‘Sarah, I don’t read the news anymore. It’s all just bad.’ And I get it. I really do. But we can’t give up. We can’t let the noise win.
So, I don’t know. Maybe it’s about finding a balance. Maybe it’s about being more discerning. Maybe it’s about taking a break. I’m not sure. But I know one thing. We can’t keep going like this.
It’s just… yeah. We need to do better.
About the Author: Sarah Mitchell has been a senior editor at major publications for over two decades. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and everything in between. She’s opinionated, she’s passionate, and she’s not afraid to say what she thinks. You can find her on Twitter @sarahmits or over at dailynewsen.com.
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