Look, Let’s Talk About This Mess
I’ve been editing news for 22 years. Twenty-two years. That’s 7,705 days of reading, writing, and editing news stories. And let me tell you something, folks: the news cycle is completley broken.
It started somewhere around 2008, I think. Maybe it was the aquisition of the internet by everyone’s grandma. Maybe it was the rise of social media. Maybe it was just the collective decision by humanity to stop giving a damn about facts. I don’t know. But it’s a mess.
I remember sitting in a conference in Austin back in 2012, listening to some hotshot journalist named—let’s call him Marcus—talk about how ‘citizen journalism’ was gonna save the industry. I laughed so hard I choked on my coffee. (Which, by the way, was the worst coffee I’ve ever had. But that’s a story for another time.)
Marcus was wrong. So wrong. Citizen journalism didn’t save the industry. It broke it. It broke it because now everyone’s a journalist. Everyone’s an expert. Everyone’s got an opinion. And honestly? Most people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.
I was talking to a colleague named Dave last Tuesday. Dave’s been in the game longer than I have. He’s seen it all. We were over coffee at the place on 5th, and he said something that stuck with me. He said, ‘The problem isn’t that people don’t care about the news. The problem is that they care too much about the wrong things.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But Here’s the Thing
We, as journalists, are also to blame. We’ve become so obsessed with clicks and shares and likes that we’ve forgotten what our job actually is. Our job is to inform. To educate. To hold power to account. Not to entertain. Not to pander. Not to chase trends.
I get it, though. I really do. I’ve been there. Sitting at my desk at 11:30pm, staring at a blank screen, thinking, ‘What the hell am I gonna write about now?’ I’ve written stories I’m not proud of. Stories that were clickbait. Stories that were, frankly, trash. But I’ve also written stories that mattered. Stories that made a difference. And that’s what we should be focusing on.
And look, I’m not saying we should go back to the ‘good old days’ or whatever. Those days weren’t so good. They were boring, frankly. But we need to find a balance. We need to find a way to inform and entertain without sacrificing our integrity.
So What’s the Answer?
I wish I knew. I really do. I’ve spent the last 22 years trying to figure it out. And I’m not sure I’m any closer now than I was back then. But I do know this: we need to stop chasing the algorithm. We need to stop trying to be everything to everyone. We need to stop being afraid of losing our audience.
We need to start being brave again. We need to start telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it’s unpopular. Even when it costs us readers. Because that’s our job. That’s what we’re supposed to do.
And for the love of God, we need to stop using the phrase ‘fake news.’ It’s a stupid phrase. It’s a meaningless phrase. It’s a phrase that’s been weaponized and twisted and turned into something ugly. So let’s just stop. Okay?
I’m not sure what’s gonna happen next. I’m not sure if things are gonna get better or worse. But I do know this: we can’t keep going the way we’re going. We need to change. We need to adapt. We need to grow. And we need to do it fast.
Because if we don’t, we’re gonna lose something important. Something vital. Something that makes our democracy work. And that’s a future I’m not willing to live in.
So let’s get to work. Let’s fix this mess. Let’s make the news great again. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
Oh, and if you’re looking for more on this topic, check out popular articles recommended reading. They’ve got some great stuff on how to determing what’s real and what’s not in today’s news committment to truth.
Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’m gonna go find some more coffee. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll find some hope for the future of journalism too.
About the Author
I’m Jane Doe, senior editor at Lagos Daily. I’ve been in this game for way too long, and I’m not sure I’m any better at it now than I was when I started. But I’m still here, still fighting the good fight, still trying to make a difference. One word at a time.
