Look, I’m Gonna Say It
I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years. Worked at places you’ve heard of, places you haven’t. I’ve seen alot change. But one thing? One thing hasn’t changed enough. And it’s killing us.
Clickbait.
Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re tired of hearing about it. But hear me out. I was having coffee with an old friend, let’s call him Marcus, last Tuesday. Marcus, he’s a journalist too. Been at it longer than me, frankly. We were talking about the state of the news industry, and he said something that stuck with me.
“We’re all guilty,” he said. “Every single one of us.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
I mean, look at Lagos Daily. We’re not innocent here. I’ve written headlines that make me cringe now. “You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!” Yeah, I wrote that. And it worked. People clicked. But at what cost?
It’s Not Just the Tabloids
Oh, it’s easy to point fingers at the tabloids. But it’s not just them. It’s the broadsheets too. It’s all of us. I remember sitting in a conference in Austin, about three months ago, listening to a panel of editors from major publications. And you know what they were talking about? Engagement. Clicks. Views. Not the quality of the journalism. Not the impact. Not the truth.
And that’s the problem. We’ve become so focused on the numbers that we’ve forgotten why we’re here. We’re here to inform. To educate. To hold power to account. Not to trick people into clicking on some sensationalist headline.
I had a colleague named Dave. Great guy. Brilliant writer. But he was always chasing the algorithm. “If it’s not gonna get clicks, it’s not gonna get published,” he’d say. And he was right. To a point. But at what cost to our committment to quality journalism?
The Algorithm Isn’t the Enemy
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the algorithm is evil. It’s a tool. And like any tool, it can be used for good or bad. But when we let it dictate what news is and isn’t, we’re in trouble.
I’ve seen it happen. A story that’s important, that needs to be told, gets buried because it’s “not engaging enough.” Meanwhile, some celebrity gossip or viral video gets pushed to the top because it’s “what people want to see.”
But who decides what people want to see? Us. We do. And if we’re not careful, we’re gonna completley lose sight of what’s important.
What Can We Do?
So, what’s the answer? I’m not sure but we gotta start somewhere. We gotta start having honest conversations about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
And we gotta stop being afraid to talk about the elephant in the room. Clickbait is not the enemy. It’s a symptom of a bigger problem. A problem that we’re all complicit in.
I’ve started making a conscious effort to write headlines that are accurate and informative. Not always succesfully, but I’m trying. And I’m encouraging my team to do the same.
We also need to be better about promoting stories that matter. Even if they’re not gonna get as many clicks. Even if they’re not gonna make us as much money. Because that’s our job. To inform. To educate. To hold power to account.
And if we’re not doing that, then what are we doing?
Oh, and About That Tech Industry News Analysis
Speaking of holding power to account, have you checked out tech industry news analysis lately? They’re doing some great work. Really digging into the stories that matter. It’s a good reminder of what we should be doing.
Anyway, I could go on, but I won’t. I’ve said my piece. It’s time to get back to work. And maybe, just maybe, write a headline that doesn’t make me cringe.
About the Author: Jane Doe has been a senior editor at Lagos Daily for over 20 years. She’s seen the industry change dramatically and isn’t afraid to call out the problems she sees. When she’s not editing, she can be found complaining about the state of the news industry at her favorite coffee shop.
