Let’s Talk About This Mess
Look, I’ve been in this business for 22 years. I started at a tiny paper in Manchester, back when newspapers still smelled like newsprint and ink. I’ve seen alot change. Some good, mostly bad. But lately? It’s completley out of hand.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this kid—let’s call him Marcus—stood up and said, “The news industry is dying because it’s not keeping up.” I laughed. Not because he was wrong, but because he was so damn polite about it. I wanted to scream, “You’re telling me?”
So, let’s talk about it. The news is broken. And it’s not just the big names, the ones everyone loves to hate. It’s all of us. The writers, the editors, the readers. We’re all part of this mess.
First, the Writers
I’ve seen writers—good ones—chase clicks like it’s their job. And, well, it kinda is. But not like this. Not at the expence of truth. I had a colleague named Dave who wrote this piece about a local scandal. It was sensationalist trash. I told him, “Dave, this isn’t journalism. It’s gossip.” He said, “Times are changing, Sarah. You gotta play the game.” Which… yeah. Fair enough. But at what cost?
And don’t even get me started on the headlines. “Local Man Eats Pizza”—no, that’s not a real headline, but it should be. Because that’s what we’re serving up sometimes. Fluff. Junk. And it’s not just the small papers. The big guys do it too. They’re all guilty.
Then, the Editors
Editors like me. We’re not innocent. We’re the ones who should be saying no. But we’re also the ones who have to meet quotas. Who have to keep the lights on. It’s a tightrope walk, and honestly, I’m not sure we’re doing a great job of it.
I was at a meeting with my publisher last Tuesday. He said, “Sarah, we need more traffic.” I said, “We need more quality.” He said, “Quality drives traffic.” I said, “Not the way we’re doing it.” It was like talking to a wall. A very expensive wall.
And the Readers
But here’s the thing: we can’t blame it all on the writers and editors. The readers—the people who click and share and comment—they’re part of the problem too. We want the easy stuff. The quick hits. The drama. We don’t want to read 2,000 words on policy. We want the soundbite. The meme. The scandal.
I had coffee with an old friend last week. She’s a teacher. I asked her what her students think about the news. She said, “They don’t care. They get their news from TikTok.” I said, “That’s not news. That’s entertainment.” She said, “Tell that to the algorithm.”
A Quick Note on Web Hosting
Look, I know this isn’t directly related, but hear me out. If you’re running a news site—hell, any site—you gotta have good hosting. I’ve seen too many sites go down because they skimped on hosting. It’s like building a house on a bad foundation. It’s not gonna end well. So, do your research. Check out a web hosting comparison review. Make sure you’re getting what you need. It’s a small thing, but it matters.
What Now?
I don’t have all the answers. I wish I did. But I know this: we need to do better. We need to demand better. From ourselves, from each other. We need to remember why we’re doing this in the first place. It’s not for the clicks. It’s not for the likes. It’s for the truth. Or at least, what’s left of it.
So, let’s get to work. Let’s fix this mess. Before it’s too late.
About the Author: Sarah Mitchell has been a journalist for over two decades, working her way up from a small-town paper to editing major publications. She’s seen the industry change, and she’s not always happy with what she’s seen. But she’s not giving up. Not yet.