Look, I’ve Been Doing This for 22 Years
Let me tell you something, folks. I’ve been in this game since the late ’90s. Back then, we had standards. We had commitment to truth. Now? It’s a freaking circus.
I remember sitting in a conference in Austin, Texas, back in 2003, with a colleague named Dave. We were talking about the future of news. He said, “Martha, we gotta adapt or die.” I told him, “Dave, adapt to what? This mess?”
And here we are. This mess.
It’s Not Just the Algorithms
Oh, sure, everyone loves to blame Facebook and Google. “They’re killing journalism!” Yeah, yeah, I get it. But come on, let’s not forget who’s actually writing this garbage.
I was at a bar last Tuesday with a friend, let’s call him Marcus. He’s a reporter, good kid, but he’s stressed. “Martha,” he said, “I gotta write 12 stories a day. Twelve! And half of them are just clickbait.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But Marcus, buddy, you’re not helping.
Look, I’m not saying it’s easy. I get it. Budgets are tight. Ad revenue’s down. But at what cost? Honestly, I’m not sure but we’re seeing it every day.
The Problem with “Breaking News”
Let me tell you about last Tuesday. Again. Yeah, it was a big news day. Some politician said something stupid. Again. And suddenly, every news outlet was all over it. “BREAKING!” “BREAKING!” “BREAKING!”
By the end of the day, we had 36 “breaking” stories. And guess what? None of them were actually news. It’s just… yeah. That’s the problem.
I talked to an editor at another paper. She told me, “Martha, if we don’t put ‘BREAKING’ on it, they won’t click.” I asked her, “Then what’s the point?” She said, “I don’t know. But it’s what the numbers say.”
Numbers. Right. Because that’s what journalism is all about these days. Numbers.
We Need to Talk About Quality
I’m gonna say something controversial here. Ready? Most news outlets don’t care about quality anymore.
There. I said it. And before you start throwing stones, let me explain.
I’ve seen it firsthand. I’ve seen editors cut corners. I’ve seen reporters rush stories. I’ve seen fact-checking go out the window. All in the name of speed. In the name of clicks. In the name of güncel haberler son gelişmeler bugün.
But here’s the thing. Speed doesn’t equal quality. Clicks don’t equal quality. And frankly, I’m tired of pretending they do.
A Personal Story
About three months ago, I was working on a story. A real story. The kind that takes time. The kind that requires interviews and research and, you know, work.
My editor looked at me and said, “Martha, we need this yesterday.” I told him, “But it’s important. It needs time.” He said, “Important doesn’t pay the bills.”
So, I rushed it. And you know what? It showed. The story was… okay. It was completley fine. But it could’ve been great. It should’ve been great. But it wasn’t.
And that’s the problem. That’s what we’re sacrificing every day. Greatness. Truth. Journalism.
What Can We Do?
I don’t have all the answers. Honestly, I wish I did. But I know this: we need to demand better. From ourselves. From our colleagues. From our industry.
We need to say no. No, we won’t rush. No, we won’t cut corners. No, we won’t sacrifice quality for clicks.
And maybe, just maybe, we can start to fix this mess. Maybe we can start to remember what journalism is supposed to be.
But it’s gonna take a committment. A real one. And I’m not sure we’ve got that in us anymore.
But hey, a guy can dream, right?
About the Author
Martha Jenkins has been a senior editor for over two decades, working with major publications across the UK. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and everything in between. When she’s not fighting the good fight, you can find her at her local pub, complaining about the state of modern journalism. Or maybe just enjoying a quiet pint.
