Look, I’m gonna say it
I’m sick of the news. There, I said it. And before you start throwing rotten tomatoes, hear me out. I’ve been in this game for over 20 years, and I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly. And honestly? It’s getting worse.
I remember back in ’98, when I was just a wet-behind-the-ears reporter at the Bristol Herald. My editor, let’s call him Marcus, he had this saying: ‘If your mother says she loves you, check it out.’ That was our mantra. Verify, verify, verify. But these days? Verification is so last decade.
Speed over accuracy
We’re all to blame. Journalists, sure, but also you, me, everyone. We want our news fast, and we want it now. And publications? They’re more than happy to oblige. Remember when breaking news used to be, well, breaking? Now it’s just a race to be first, accuracy be damned.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and I heard a reporter from a major outlet say, ‘If we wait to confirm, we’re already too late.’ Which… yeah. Fair enough. But at what cost?
Take the whole ‘Covid-19 is a lab leak’ debacle. Remember that? One minute it’s a conspiracy theory, the next it’s front-page news. And now? Crickets. No retraction, no apology, just a collective shrug. It’s like we’ve accepted that this is how news works now. And it’s not just the big outlets. Local news is just as bad, if not worse.
I had coffee with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday. He’s a reporter at a local paper here in Bristol. He told me about a story they ran about a ‘dangerous new drug’ sweeping the city. Turns out, it was just people vaping nicotine. But by then, the damage was done. Panic in the streets, calls for action from politicians. All because someone wanted to be first.
But it’s not all doom and gloom
There are still good journalists out there, doing good work. I mean, look at the work done by the Bristol Daily. They’re trying, at least. And there are things we can do to make it better. For starters, we can all slow down. Take a breath. Wait for the facts.
And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe it’s time to take a step back. Unplug for a bit. Pick up a book, take a walk, do something that doesn’t involve doomscrolling. Honestly, it’s good for the soul. And if you’re looking for some healthy habits daily routine tips, well, that’s a start.
But here’s the thing: it’s not just on us. It’s on the publications, too. They need to prioritize accuracy over speed. They need to hire fact-checkers, and editors, and actually pay their journalists a living wage so they can afford to do their jobs properly.
A quick tangent: the comment section
Oh, and let’s talk about comments. You know, those little boxes at the bottom of articles where civility goes to die? Yeah, those. They’re a cesspool. And they’re making everything worse. I mean, I get it. Everyone has an opinion. But not every opinion deserves to be heard. And certainly not at the expense of a constructive conversation.
I remember this one time, back in ’05, I wrote a piece about local politics. The comments? A nightmare. Personal attacks, conspiracy theories, you name it. It was like the internet’s id was on full display. And it’s only gotten worse since then. So maybe, just maybe, it’s time to reconsider the whole comment section thing.
So what’s the solution?
I wish I had one. I really do. But I don’t. I think it’s gonna take a collective effort. From journalists, from publications, from readers. We all need to do better. We need to demand better. And we need to remember that accuracy matters. That facts matter. That truth matters.
So let’s start there. Let’s start with the truth. And maybe, just maybe, we can fix this broken news cycle.
About the Author: Sarah Jenkins has been a senior editor at various publications for over 20 years. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and everything in between. She currently resides in Bristol with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends her free time ranting about the state of journalism. You can find her on Twitter @sarahjenkins.
