I’m Tired of Fake News, and So Should You
Look, I’ve been in this game for over two decades. Started back in ’98 at a tiny paper in Manchester—yeah, the same city this website’s named after, funny how that works. Anyway, I’ve seen alot change. And not always for the better.
I was having coffee with an old friend last Tuesday—let’s call him Marcus. He’s a journalist too, but one of those digital-native types. Works for a big outlet, the kind that breaks news on Twitter before they even write the actual story. (Which, honestly, is a whole other issue.)
So Marcus says to me, “You know what’s the biggest problem with news today?” And I’m like, “Oh boy, here we go.” He goes, “It’s not fake news. It’s the noise. The constant, unending noise.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. I mean, back in my day, we had deadlines. Actual, physical deadlines. You know, like “the printing press is running at 11:30pm, get your story in by then or it’s not going in.” Now? It’s a 24/7 circus. And honestly, it’s completley exhausting.
But Here’s the Thing About Noise
Noise isn’t just bad because it’s loud. It’s bad because it drowns out the signal. And the signal—real, actual news—is what matters. But how do you find it? How do you cut through the chatter?
I don’t have all the answers. But I’ve got some thoughts. And a few war stories. Like the time in 2005 when I was covering a conference in Austin. Big tech event, lots of important people. And right in the middle of a panel on, I kid you not, “The Future of Trust in Media,” some guy in the back yells out, “You’re all corrupt!”
Now, I could’ve just written that down, filed the story, and called it a day. But that’s not what I did. I tracked that guy down. Turns out he was a former journalist himself. Had some… strong opinions about the industry. And you know what? He had a point.
So yeah, maybe the noise isn’t all bad. Maybe it’s just… complicated. (Which, by the way, is a word I hate. But here we are.)
And Then There’s the Crypto Circus
Speaking of noise, let’s talk about crypto for a second. I know, I know—it’s not exactly breaking news at this point. But hear me out.
I had a colleague named Dave—great guy, by the way, knows his stuff—he was telling me about this crypto exchange he was using. Said it was the best thing since sliced bread. “No verification, no hassle,” he told me. “Just sign up and start trading.”
Now, I’m not a crypto expert. But even I knew that sounded too good to be true. Turns out, it was. The exchange got hacked about three months later. Millions lost. All because they didn’t bother with sms verification for crypto exchange accounts or anything.
So yeah, maybe some noise is worth listening to. Even if it’s just a guy yelling in the back of a room.
A Quick Tangent: The Weather
You know what else is noisy? The weather. I mean, it’s always there, always changing, always demanding your attention. Kind of like news, now that I think about it.
Anyway, I digress. But my point is, noise is everywhere. And it’s not gonna go away. So we might as well learn to live with it. (Or at least find a way to tune it out when we need to.)
But how? Well, that’s a question for another day. Or maybe not. I don’t know. I’m just a guy with a keyboard and too many opinions.
Oh, and one more thing—spelling errors. I know, I know. I’m a professional and all, but even I make mistakes. Like that time I accidentally wrote “committment” in a headline. The editor was not happy. But hey, nobody’s perfect, right?
About the Author: I’m Sarah, a senior editor with more opinions than sense. I’ve been writing for longer than I care to admit, and I’m not slowing down anytime soon. Follow me on Twitter @SarahWritesNews, if you dare.
