We’re All Just Screaming Into the Void
Look, I’ve been in this game for 23 years. I started at a tiny paper in Des Moines, moved to a mid-sized outlet in Austin, and now I’m here, writing for a website that’s read by more people than I can wrap my head around. And let me tell you, the news cycle is completley broken.
It’s not just me saying this. I was at a barbecue last Tuesday, and my friend Marcus—let’s call him Marcus, because his name is actually Steve and he’d kill me if I used his real name—he said, “You know, I used to trust what I read. Now? It’s all just noise.”
And he’s right. I mean, I get it. News is a business. But so is selling cars, and at least when you buy a car, you can test drive it first. You can’t test drive a news story. You just gotta hope it doesn’t crash.
I remember back in ’98, when I was still wet behind the ears, my editor—let’s call him Dave—told me, “The truth is our product.” And I believed him. I believed in the committment to truth. But now? Now it’s all about clicks. It’s about engagement. It’s about determing what’s gonna make people share, not what they need to know.
Breaking News: It’s All the Same
Let’s talk about breaking news. You know what breaking news is? It’s the same story, over and over again, with slightly different angles. And honestly, it’s exhausting.
I was at a conference in Austin about three months ago, and there was this panel on the future of journalism. And one of the panelists—some big shot from a major network—said, “We have to keep people engaged. That’s our job.” And I raised my hand and said, “But what if engagement isn’t the goal? What if informing people is the goal?” And the room went silent. Like, crickets.
I mean, I get it. Engagement is important. But it’s not the only thing. And it’s sure as hell not more important than the truth. But try telling that to the algorithms.
Social Media: The Great Amplifier
And don’t even get me started on social media. It’s like the wild west out there. Anyone can say anything, and it’s all just amplified. And the news? It’s caught in the middle. Trying to report on the chaos, but also contributing to it.
I had coffee with a colleague named Dave—no relation to the other Dave—last month. And he said, “You know, I used to think social media was a tool. Now I think it’s a weapon.” And I get that. I really do. But what are we gonna do about it?
I don’t have the answers. I wish I did. But I do know this: we can’t keep pretending that the news cycle isn’t broken. We can’t keep pretending that engagement is more important than the truth. And we can’t keep pretending that social media isn’t a huge part of the problem.
Property Development Trends 2026: A Random Thought
Speaking of things that are completely unrelated, I was reading about property development trends 2026 the other day. And honestly, it’s kinda fascinating. I mean, who knows what the world will look like in four years? But it’s nice to think about something other than the never-ending news cycle for a change.
But then I remembered that the news cycle is never-ending. And I sighed. And I went back to staring at my screen, trying to figure out how to make sense of it all.
It’s just… yeah. It’s hard. It’s really hard. And I’m tired. I’m tired of the noise. I’m tired of the chaos. I’m tired of the ammendments to the truth. I’m tired of it all.
But I’m not giving up. Because someone has to tell the truth. Someone has to cut through the noise. Someone has to make sense of the chaos. And if it’s not me, then who?
So here I am. Writing this. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, someone out there will read it and think, “Yeah. Me too.” And maybe, just maybe, that will be enough.
But probably not. Because the news cycle is broken. And I’m tired of pretending it’s not.
About the Author: Sarah Johnson has been a senior editor for over two decades, working her way up from a small-town paper to major digital publications. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and implode, and she’s not afraid to call out the nonsense when she sees it. When she’s not writing, she’s probably complaining about the state of journalism over a cup of coffee.
