Look, We’ve Got a Problem
I’ve been editing news features for 22 years. Twenty-two. That’s longer than some of you have been alive. And let me tell you, the state of news consumption today? It’s a complete shambles.
I remember back in ’01, when I was just starting out at the Bristol Herald, fresh-faced and full of idealism. My editor, let’s call him Marcus, used to say, ‘News is like a good stew, son. You gotta let it simmer. Can’t rush it.’
Yeah, well. That was then. This is now. And frankly, we’re living in a world where news is more like fast food than a home-cooked meal. Quick, cheap, and honestly, not very nutritious.
But Why?
I was having coffee with an old colleague named Dave last Tuesday. We were at that little place on 5th, the one with the wonky chairs. He said, ‘You know what’s killed quality news? The internet. And social media. And algorithms.’
‘Nah,’ I said. ‘It’s not that simple.’
See, here’s the thing. It’s not just about the delivery. It’s about us. The consumers. We’re part of the problem. We want our news fast, we want it easy, and we want it to confirm what we already think. And that’s a recipie for disaster. (Yeah, I know ‘recipie’ is spelled wrong. Sue me.)
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you read a news article that challenged your views? Really challenged them? Not just a little nudge, but a full-on shove. I’m not sure I can remember either.
The Algorithm Problem
Algorithms. Ugh. Don’t even get me started. I had a source, let’s call him Greg, who worked at one of those big tech companies. He told me, ‘The algorithm doesn’t care about truth. It cares about engagement. And engagement is easy. Just tell people what they want to hear.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But that’s not journalism. That’s propaganda. And it’s everywhere. It’s in your Facebook feed, your Twitter timeline, your Instagram stories. It’s in the emails you get from news outlets, begging you to click.
And it’s working. Because we’re lazy. We’re busy. We don’t have time to dig. So we take the easy route. We read the headline, maybe the first paragraph, and then we move on. We form an opinion based on a snippet. And that’s it. That’s the extent of our committment to being informed citizens.
But There’s Hope
Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s not all doom and gloom. There are still good journalists out there, doing good work. Fighting the good fight. I see them every day. They’re at the Bristol Daily, they’re at the Guardian, they’re at the New York Times. They’re everywhere.
And they’re doing incredible things. They’re investigating, they’re reporting, they’re holding power to account. But they’re fighting an uphill battle. Because the system is stacked against them. The algorithms, the clickbait, the 24-hour news cycle. It’s all working against them.
But here’s the thing. We can help. We can be better consumers. We can take the time to read. To think. To challenge our own views. And to support quality journalism.
And look, I get it. It’s not easy. It’s hard. It takes time. But it’s important. Because democracy depends on it. And frankly, so does our sanity.
So What Can We Do?
First, we can stop relying on social media for our news. I know, I know. It’s convenient. But it’s also a cesspool of misinformation. So let’s make a pact. Let’s go straight to the source. Let’s read the news on the websites of reputable outlets. And if we’re not sure if an outlet is reputable, we can check sites like Media Bias/Fact Check. (Which honestly nobody asked for but here we are.)
Second, we can be more discerning about what we read. We can look for articles that are well-sourced, well-researched, and well-written. We can avoid clickbait headlines and sensationalist stories. And we can be wary of confirmation bias. We can seek out views that challenge our own.
Third, we can support quality journalism. We can subscribe to news outlets. We can donate to independent journalists. We can share their work on social media. We can buy their merch. (Seriously, who doesn’t love a good journalist t-shirt?)
And finally, we can be patient. We can wait for the full story to emerge. We can resist the urge to jump to conclusions based on a single tweet or a viral video. We can remember that news is like a good stew. It takes time to simmer.
A Tangent: The Return Policy of News
You know what else? We need a return policy comparison guide for news. A way to hold outlets accountable for their mistakes. Because let’s face it, they make alot of them. And they rarely amend them. They’ll issue a correction in tiny print, buried at the bottom of the article. But they won’t admit they got it wrong. They won’t say, ‘We screwed up. Here’s the truth.’
And that’s a problem. Because it erodes trust. It makes us cynical. It makes us think that all news is biased, all news is fake. And that’s not true. Some news is good. Some news is true. But we have to be able to trust it. And that means holding outlets accountable.
Anyway, That’s Enough From Me
Look, I could go on. But I won’t. I’ll leave you with this. News matters. It’s important. It’s how we understand the world. And it’s how we hold power to account. So let’s take it seriously. Let’s be better consumers. Let’s support quality journalism. And let’s remember that news is like a good stew. It takes time to simmer.
About the Author
Sarah Jenkins has been a senior magazine editor for over 20 years, working with major publications across the UK. She’s passionate about quality journalism, long walks on the beach, and arguing with people on Twitter. She lives in Bristol with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and a collection of vintage typewriters.
