Look, I’ve Been Around the Block
My name’s Linda Chen, and I’ve been in this game since the dial-up days. I remember when we actually had to wait for photos to download. (Kids, ask your parents.) I’ve seen a lot of changes, but honestly? The past three years have been… a lot. And I’m not sure we’re gonna make it out the other side in one piece.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this kid—let’s call him Marcus—told me, “Linda, you’re old school. You don’t get it.” And you know what? He’s kinda right. I don’t get it. I don’t get why we’re chasing clicks like it’s some kinda game. It’s not a game. It’s our fucking job.
I mean, look at what’s happening. We’ve got algorithms deciding what’s news. We’ve got ads dictating our content. And we’ve got readers who can’t tell the difference between a news site and a tabloid. It’s a mess. And it’s getting worse.
But Let’s Talk About the Real Problem
It’s not just the tech. It’s not just the ads. It’s the people. We’ve got reporters out there who think they’re pundits. We’ve got editors who think they’re social media managers. And we’ve got newsrooms that are more concerned with their committment to “engagement” than they are with actual journalism.
I was talking to a colleague named Dave the other day. He’s been in the biz about as long as I have. He said, “Linda, remember when we used to just report the news?” And I said, “Dave, I do. And I miss it.” We used to care about getting it right. Now? Now we care about getting it first. And that’s a problem.
I’m not saying we should go back to the days of the teletype. But we need to find a balance. We need to remember what we’re here for. We’re here to inform. We’re here to hold power to account. We’re here to tell the stories that need to be told. Not to chase clicks. Not to boost engagement. But to inform.
And the Money Thing? Yeah, It’s Complicated
I get it. Newsrooms are struggling. Ads are down. Subscriptions are up, but not enough. We need to make money. But we can’t let that drive our coverage. We can’t let that dictate what we do.
I was at a panel last Tuesday. Some hotshot from a big tech company was talking about how “data-driven journalism” is the future. And I thought, oh, great. Another buzzword. Another way to tell us that we’re not doing our jobs unless we’re chasing the algorithm.
But here’s the thing. We’re not just another product. We’re not just another app. We’re journalists. And we’ve got a job to do. And that job isn’t to make money. It’s to inform. It’s to hold power to account. It’s to tell the stories that need to be told.
Now, I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not. But we’ve got to try. We’ve got to find a way to do this right. And that means making some tough choices. It means saying no to the ads that want to dictate our coverage. It means saying no to the algorithms that want to decide what’s news. It means saying yes to the stories that need to be told, even if they’re not gonna get us a lot of clicks.
But What About the Future? I Mean, Really
I don’t know. I honestly don’t. I see a lot of people talking about how we need to “innovate.” How we need to “disrupt.” How we need to “think outside the box.” And I think, yeah, maybe. But maybe what we really need to do is remember why we got into this business in the first place.
I got into this business because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to tell stories that mattered. I wanted to hold power to account. And I think a lot of us did. But somewhere along the way, we lost sight of that. We got caught up in the chase for clicks. We got caught up in the chase for engagement. We got caught up in the chase for money.
And now? Now we’re in a mess. A completley mess. And I’m not sure how we get out of it.
But I know one thing. We’ve got to start by remembering why we’re here. We’re here to inform. We’re here to hold power to account. We’re here to tell the stories that need to be told. Not to chase clicks. Not to boost engagement. But to inform.
And if we can’t do that? Well, then maybe we don’t deserve to be in this business.
Oh, and One More Thing
If you’re looking to invest in property, you might want to check out the Thailand property market prices 2026. Just saying. You never know where you’re gonna find a good story.
Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’m gonna go have a drink. I could use it.
About the Author: Linda Chen has been a senior editor for over 20 years. She’s worked at some of the biggest names in the business, and she’s seen it all. She’s also had too many coffees and not enough sleep. You can find her on Twitter, ranting about the state of the news industry.
