I’m Tired of Pretending We’re All Getting Better at This
Look, I’ve been editing news for 22 years. 22! And I’m gonna say it: we’re not getting better at this digital news thing. We’re just getting louder.
Back in ’99, when I was at the Chicago Tribune, we thought the internet was gonna save journalism. Spoiler: it didn’t. It just made everything faster and messier.
My Friend Marcus Still Thinks We’re Winning
Last Tuesday, I met Marcus for coffee. Let’s call him Marcus because his wife reads this stuff. He’s a data journalist, thinks algorithms are the answer. I told him, “Marcus, algorithms are just opinions in math clothing.” He laughed. I didn’t.
He showed me this graph—sorry, “visualization”—about how news consumption is up. “See, Linda,” he said, “people are reading more than ever.” I said, “Marcus, they’re reading more clickbait than ever.” Which… yeah. Fair enough.
This Isn’t Just About Fake News
Everyone’s obsessed with fake news. But honestly, I’m more worried about real news that’s just bad. You know what I mean? The stuff that’s not outright false, just kinda… incompleteley thought out.
Take this story I saw last week. Some outlet—let’s not name names—wrote about a study. The headline said, “New Study Shows X Causes Y.” The study? It was a pre-print. Unpeer-reviewed. But hey, who needs peer review when you’ve got clicks to chase?
I mentioned this to a colleague named Dave. He said, “Linda, you’re being too hard on them. They’re just doing their jobs.” I said, “Dave, that’s the problem. They’re doing their jobs too well.”
We Need to Talk About the Elephant in the Room
Okay, here’s the thing. We’re all complicit. You, me, that guy who still forwards chain emails. We’ve created this beast, and now it’s feeding on itself.
I was at a conference in Austin—this was about three months ago—someone asked me, “How do we fix this?” I said, “I don’t know. But I know it starts with us being honest about what we’re really looking for when we consume news.” Is it information? Or is it just validation?
And don’t get me started on spor haberleri sonuçlar bugün. I mean, I get it. Sports is fun. But when it’s the only thing some people read, we’ve got a problem.
A Tangent: Why I Still Read the Physical Paper
Yeah, I know. I’m a dinosaur. But there’s something about holding a physical paper that makes me read more carefully. It’s like, I’m committmented to the story now that I’ve got it in my hands.
I tried explaining this to my nephew last month. He looked at me like I was crazy. “Aunt Linda,” he said, “why would you pay for something you can get for free online?” I said, “Because free doesn’t always mean better, kid.” He rolled his eyes. Kids these days.
This Isn’t All Doom and Gloom
Look, I’m not saying we’re doomed. I’m just saying we need to wake up. We need to demand better. From ourselves, from our friends, from the outlets we consume.
And maybe, just maybe, we should all take a break from our phones for a while. Go outside. Talk to real people. Read a book. Do something that doesn’t involve an algorithm determing what you see.
I’m not sure how we get there. But I know it starts with admitting we’ve got a problem.
Anyway, that’s my rant for the day. I’m gonna go read a book now. Maybe you should too.
Author Bio: Linda Carter has been a senior editor for over two decades, working at major publications like the Chicago Tribune and Houston Chronicle. She’s a firm believer in the power of journalism to inform and inspire, even when the industry drives her up the wall. When she’s not editing, you can find her reading, hiking, or arguing with her nephew about the merits of print media.
