We’re All Being Played
Look, I’ve been in this game for 22 years. Started as a beat reporter in Manchester, moved to London, thought I’d seen it all. Then, last Tuesday, I had coffee with an old friend — let’s call him Marcus — and he said something that stuck with me. “You know what’s broken? The news.” And I was like, “Tell me something I don’t know, mate.”
But here’s the thing: it’s not just broken. It’s rigged. We’re all being played, and I’m not sure how to fix it. I mean, I’ve got opinions, but honestly, I’m tired. Tired of the spin, the sensationalism, the sheer bullshit that passes for news these days.
Remember when news was, I dunno, informative? When journalists actually did journalism? Yeah, me neither. I was born in the era of 24-hour news cycles and clickbait headlines. But even I can remember when things were… better? I think. Maybe I’m just getting old.
The Algorithm is Winning
So, I’m gonna rant. Bear with me. It’s 11:30pm, I’m on my third coffee, and I’ve got a lot to say. First off, the algorithm. You know, that mysterious beast that decides what we see and don’t see. It’s winning. It’s controlling the narrative, and we’re all just along for the ride.
I had a colleague named Dave — real name, by the way — who used to say, “The algorithm knows you better than your mum does.” And he’s not wrong. It knows what you’re gonna click before you do. It knows what you wanna hear, what you wanna believe. And it feeds you that shit until you’re so far down the rabbit hole you can’t see daylight.
And the worst part? We let it. We keep clicking. We keep sharing. We keep fueling the beast. I mean, I get it. It’s easy. It’s comforting. But it’s also fucking dangerous.
Fake News, Real Consequences
Speaking of dangerous, let’s talk about fake news. Not the “Trump made it up” kind, but the actual, real, “someone’s gonna die” kind. I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this woman — let’s call her Sarah — stood up and told us about her brother. He believed some bullshit he read online about vaccines, and now he’s not gonna live to see his kid’s first birthday.
And that’s on us. That’s on the journalists who shoulda known better. That’s on the platforms that shoulda done more. That’s on the people who shared that bullshit without thinking. It’s all connected, and it’s all our fault.
But what can we do? I mean, really. We can’t just… stop. We can’t un-invent the internet. We can’t make people smarter. Or can we?
Critical Thinking: The Lost Art
Here’s what I think — and I’m not sure but — we need to teach people how to think. Criticaly. (Yeah, I know, I spelled it wrong. Sue me.) We need to teach them how to question, how to verify, how to… I dunno, use their brains.
I had a professor in college — Dr. Patel — who used to say, “Don’t believe everything you read.” Revolutionary, right? But it’s true. We need to question the narrative. We need to look for the bias. We need to… I don’t know, use some common sense.
And look, I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not. It’s hard work. It’s tedious. It’s boring. But it’s necessary. It’s the only way we’re gonna survive this mess we’ve created.
A Tangent: The Weather
Speaking of messes, have you noticed the weather lately? It’s like the sky can’t make up its mind. One day it’s sunny, the next it’s pouring. I mean, I get it, it’s London. But still. It’s like the weather’s as confused as we are.
But that’s a story for another time. Let’s get back to the task at hand.
So, What Now?
I don’t have all the answers. Honestly, I don’t even have a few. But I know this: we need to do better. We need to be better. We need to… I dunno, try?
And maybe, just maybe, we should start by admitting that the news is broken. That we’re all part of the problem. And that, if we wanna fix it, we gotta start with ourselves.
I mean, I’m not saying we gotta become monks or anything. But maybe we could, I dunno, think before we share. Verify before we believe. Use our brains before we open our mouths.
It’s a start, right?
Look, I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. It’s not. But it’s gotta be done. And it’s gotta start with us. The people. The journalists. The platforms. We all gotta do our part.
And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, we can fix this mess we’ve created. Maybe we can make the news… I dunno, informative again. Maybe we can make it something we can trust.
Maybe.
About the Author
Sarah Thompson has been a senior editor for over 20 years, working with major publications across the UK. She’s seen the news industry evolve (or devolve, depending on who you ask) and isn’t afraid to call out bullshit when she sees it. When she’s not ranting about the state of journalism, she can be found drinking too much coffee and complaining about the weather.
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