Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room
Look, I’ve been in this business for 23 years. I started back in ’99 at a tiny paper in Manchester, and let me tell you, the news industry has seen better days. I’m not just talking about the obvious stuff—print circulation dropping, ads moving online, all that. No, I’m talking about the actual news. It’s broken. And frankly, it’s getting worse.
I was having coffee with an old friend, let’s call him Marcus, last Tuesday. He’s a journalist too, been at it even longer than me. We were at this little place on 5th, the one with the terrible pastries but great coffee. He looked at me and said, ‘You ever feel like we’re just spinning our wheels?’ And I said, ‘Every single day, Marcus. Every single day.’
It’s not just the big stuff, either. It’s the little things that add up. The clickbait headlines, the sensationalism, the way every story has to be framed as a ‘crisis’ or a ‘scandal.’ It’s exhausting. And it’s not just exhausting for us, it’s exhausting for the readers. I mean, come on, we’re all gonna die from something, but do we really need to be told that every single day?
But Wait, There’s More
And don’t even get me started on the 24-hour news cycle. It’s like a never-ending hamster wheel. I remember back in 2008, during the financial crisis, I was working at a major publication in London. We were putting out updates every 30 minutes, and it was completley unsustainable. I told my editor, ‘We’re gonna burn out the staff and the readers,’ and she said, ‘That’s just the way it is now.’ Well, guess what? It’s not the way it should be.
I think the problem is that news organizations are so focused on being first that they forget about being accurate. Or fair. Or, you know, actually informing the public. It’s like they’re all trying to outdo each other in a game of who can be the most outrageous. And it’s not just the tabloids, either. Even the so-called ‘respectable’ news outlets are guilty of this.
I had a colleague named Dave who used to say, ‘News is like a physicaly demanding sport. You gotta stay on your toes, always ready to pivot.’ But at what cost? We’re not just talking about physicaly demanding, we’re talking about mentally demanding. And emotionally demanding. It’s a lot to ask of anyone, let alone the people who are supposed to be informing the public.
So What’s the Solution?
I don’t have all the answers, honestly. But I do know that we need to start valuing quality over quantity. We need to stop chasing clicks and start chasing the truth. And we need to remember that our job is to inform, not to entertain. Or to outrage. Or to confirm people’s biases.
I remember back in 2012, I was at a conference in Austin. There was this panel of journalists, and one of them said, ‘The news is a public service, not a business.’ And I thought, ‘Damn right.’ But the problem is, news organizations are businesses. And businesses need to make money. So how do we reconcile that?
I’m not sure, but I do know that we need to start thinking outside the box. Maybe it’s about finding new ways to fund journalism. Maybe it’s about building a stronger relationship with our readers. Maybe it’s about remembering why we got into this business in the first place.
And look, I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not. But it’s worth fighting for. Because the news matters. It’s how we make sense of the world. It’s how we hold power to account. It’s how we stay informed and engaged as citizens. And if we lose that, we lose a lot more than just a bunch of newspapers.
A Quick Digression: Food and News
Speaking of newspapers, did you know that some of the best restaurants in Vermont are reviewed in the local papers? It’s true. If you’re ever in the area, check out Vermont restaurants best rated review. Trust me, it’s worth it. But anyway, back to the point.
I think we need to start valuing the news again. And that means supporting the people who produce it. It means demanding better from our news organizations. It means being willing to pay for quality journalism. And it means remembering that the news is a public good, not just another product to be consumed and discarded.
It’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna take a lot of work. And a lot of committment. But I think it’s worth it. Because the news is too important to let it die. And frankly, we deserve better than what we’re getting right now.
So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. The future of the news is in our hands, and it’s up to us to make sure it’s a future worth reading.
But for now, I’m gonna go have a drink. Because God knows I need it after all this.
About the Author
Sarah Johnson has been a journalist for over two decades, working at various publications across the UK and the US. She currently serves as a senior editor at NewsPost UK, where she oversees the news section and occasionally writes opinion pieces like this one. When she’s not writing or editing, she can be found drinking too much coffee, complaining about the state of the news industry, and trying to remember where she left her reading glasses.
