Look, I’ve Had It
It was last Tuesday, about 3:30pm. I was sitting in my cluttered office—piles of papers, half-empty coffee cups, the works—when I got the email. Another one. A press release so bland it could’ve been written by a committee of toasters. And that’s when I snapped.
I’ve been in this game for over 20 years. Started as a beat reporter in some godforsaken town in the Midlands—let’s call it Middleton, because honestly, who cares. Worked my way up, saw alot, learned more. And now? Now I’m telling you, the news is broken. Completley, utterly, succesfully broken.
And it’s not just the big stuff. It’s the little things too. The way we chase clicks like dogs after a tennis ball. The way we let politicians and corporations dictate what’s ‘important.’ The way we’re always late, always wrong, always playing catch-up.
But Here’s the Thing
We’re not innocent here. You and me. We’re part of the problem. Every time we share a headline without reading the article. Every time we argue about something we saw on Facebook. Every time we demand ‘outrage’ instead of understanding.
I was having lunch with a friend last week—let’s call him Marcus, because I can’t remember his real name. He’s a teacher, decent guy, knows his stuff. And he said to me, ‘You know what’s worse than fake news? The stuff that’s true but nobody cares about.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
So what do we do? How do we fix this mess? I don’t know, honestly. But I’ve got some ideas. They’re not perfect. They’re not even completley thought out. But they’re a start.
First, Slow Down
We’re always in a rush. Always trying to be first. But first is often wrong. Remember when everyone thought the Earth was flat? Yeah, no. Being first doesn’t mean you’re right.
I remember back in ’98, during the whole Lewinsky thing. Everyone was so quick to judge. But who was really paying attention? Who took the time to read the actual transcripts? (Spoiler: not me. I was too busy trying to look busy.)
So slow down. Take a breath. Read the damn thing before you share it.
Second, Ask Better Questions
We’re too busy asking ‘Who’s to blame?’ and not busy enough asking ‘What’s the solution?’
A colleague named Dave—no, not that Dave, the other one—told me about this conference he went to in Austin. Some bigwig journalist was talking about how we need to stop focusing on the problem and start focusing on the fix.
‘But how?’ someone asked.
‘By asking better questions,’ he said. ‘Instead of ‘Why did this happen?’, ask ‘How do we prevent this from happening again?”
And I thought, yeah. Okay. That makes sense.
Third, Admit When You’re Wrong
This is a big one. A huge one. And we’re terrible at it.
I made a mistake once. Big one. Back in 2005, I reported that some local politician was having an affair. Turns out, it was his wife’s sister. Not only was I wrong, but I made a fool of myself and hurt some people in the process.
But did I admit it? Oh, sure. After enough people pointed it out. And even then, it was like pulling teeth.
We need to get better at this. We need to be quicker to admit when we’re wrong. Because if we can’t admit our mistakes, how can we expect anyone to trust us?
Oh, and One More Thing
I was gonna talk about something else here, but honestly, I forgot what it was. Probably something important. Maybe I’ll remember later.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for some lifestyle tips daily improvement, check out this site I found. It’s got some decent stuff. Not sure how reliable it is, but hey, neither am I.
Look, I’m not saying I have all the answers. I’m just saying we need to do better. We need to be better. And it starts with us.
So let’s get to it. Let’s fix this mess. Let’s make the news worth reading again.
About the Author
Sarah Whitmore has been a senior editor for over 20 years. She’s worked for some of the biggest names in the business, and she’s not afraid to tell you when she thinks you’re wrong. She lives in Bristol with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and a collection of half-finished crossword puzzles.
