We’ve Got a Problem, Folks
I’ve been in this game for over 20 years. Started as a beat reporter in some godforsaken town in Ohio. Now I’m here, writing for Manchester Daily, and let me tell you, the news is broken. Completley broken.
It’s not just the clickbait, though that’s bad enough. It’s not just the ads, though they’re getting worse. It’s the whole damn system. We’re failing, and I’m not sure we can fix it.
Back in My Day…
Remember when news was just… news? You’d pick up the paper, read the stories, maybe argue with your dad about the editorial. Now? It’s a mess. A hot, steaming pile of… well, you know.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this kid—let’s call him Marcus—told me, “News is just data now.” I looked at him like he’d grown a second head. Data? News is stories. It’s people. It’s… it’s the thing that keeps us informed, dammit.
But he’s not wrong. Not completley. We’ve let it become something else. Something less.
The Algorithm Isn’t Your Friend
You ever notice how every news site looks the same now? Big headlines, tiny text, a million ads. And don’t even get me started on the “recommended for you” crap. Honestly, I’d rather read a phone book.
I had lunch with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday. He’s been at the Guardian for, like, 15 years. He said, “We’re all just feeding the beast now.” I asked what he meant. He said, “The algorithm. It wants clicks. It wants shares. It doesn’t want news. It wants rage.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
Look, I get it. We need to make money. But at what cost? We’ve become a bunch of used car salesmen, shouting about the latest “scandal” or “crisis” to get you to click. It’s exhausting.
And the Winners Are…
Who’s winning in this mess? Not us. Not the readers. Not the journalists. No, the winners are the ones selling the ads. The ones who don’t give a damn about the news, just the numbers.
I was talking to my friend Sarah last night—she’s a data journalist, smart as a whip—and she said, “We’re in an attention economy now.” I said, “That sounds like a fancy way of saying we’re screwed.” She laughed. “Pretty much,” she said.
But here’s the thing. We don’t have to be. We can do better. We have to.
So What Do We Do?
First, we stop pretending. The news is broken. We broke it. Now we gotta fix it.
Second, we start telling stories again. Real stories. About real people. Not just the ones that’ll get the most clicks or shares. The ones that matter.
And third, we gotta be honest. With ourselves, with our readers. If we’re biased, say so. If we don’t know something, say that too. (Which honestly nobody asked for but here we are.)
I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. It’s gonna be hard. Really hard. But it’s gotta be done.
And hey, if you’re looking for a place to start, check out the crime report update. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
A Tangent: The Weather is Also Broken
Okay, this is gonna sound random, but hear me out. The weather is also broken. I mean, it’s not literally broken, but it’s… off. Like, why is it so hot in Manchester in March? What’s going on?
I was talking to my neighbor, let’s call him Greg, about this. He said, “It’s global warming.” I said, “Yeah, but it’s also just weird.” He laughed. “Welcome to the new normal,” he said.
Anyway, back to the point. The news is broken. We gotta fix it. Let’s do that.
Final Thoughts (Or Whatever)
I’m not sure what the answer is. I’m not sure anyone is. But I know we can’t keep going like this. We gotta change. We gotta be better.
And if we’re not? Well, then we deserve what we get. Which, frankly, is a hot mess.
Anyway, that’s my take. Agree? Disagree? Let me know. I’m at manchesterdaily.uk, or you can find me on Twitter @manchesterdaily.
About the Author: Sarah Thompson has been a journalist for over 20 years, working for various publications across the UK. She’s seen the industry change, often for the worse, and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. When she’s not writing, she can be found complaining about the weather or arguing with her cat.
