We’re All Just Making It Up as We Go
Look, I’ve been in this game for 22 years. Started as a cub reporter for the Hackensack Herald, back when people still gave a damn about local news. Now? Now we’re all just shouting into the void, hoping something sticks.
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin (yeah, I know, irony much?), and I heard some hotshot from a digital media startup say, “The future of news is algorithmic curation.” I laughed so hard I snorted. Which, frankly, is not a sound you want coming from a 50-year-old woman in a room full of 20-somethings in hoodies.
But here’s the thing: he’s not wrong. Not completley. It’s just… yeah. We’ve all seen the stats. People don’t read articles anymore. They scan headlines, maybe read the first paragraph, then move on. And we, as an industry, have basically trained them to do that.
My Friend Marcus Says I’m Being Dramatic
“You’re being dramatic,” Marcus told me over coffee at the place on 5th. “It’s always been like this. Remember the yellow journalism days?”
“Marcus,” I said, “back then they at least had the decency to make up stories with a typewriter. Now? Now we’ve got bots generating clickbait about celebrity diets and “miracle” weight loss pills. And don’t even get me started on the comments section.”
“Which is why I don’t read the comments,” he said, grinning like the smug bastard he is.
Fair point. But still. It’s not just the comments. It’s the whole damn system. We’re all just chasing clicks, chasing engagement, chasing that sweet, sweet ad revenue. And in the process, we’re losing sight of what journalism is supposed to be: informing the public, holding power to account, making sense of the chaos.
But What About the Good Stuff?
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are still some amazing journalists out there doing incredible work. I’m thinking of my old colleague, Dave, who’s been covering the Las Vegas beat for years. He’s the real deal. He’s out there, talking to people, digging up stories that matter. And he’s not doing it for the glory or the money, because let’s be honest, there isn’t any.
But even Dave’s struggling. “It’s getting harder,” he told me last time we spoke. “The budget cuts, the layoffs, the pressure to churn out content that’s “viral” or whatever. It’s like we’re all just trying to stay afloat in this sea of nonsense.”
And that’s the thing. The good stuff is still out there. But it’s getting buried under an avalanche of crap. And it’s not just the big outlets. It’s everywhere. Even here, at London Headlines, we’re feeling the pressure. “We need more clicks,” they tell us. “We need more engagement.” And so we jump through hoops, trying to keep up with the algorithm, trying to stay relevant.
A Tangent: The Time I Almost Quit
About three months ago, I was at my wits’ end. I’d just spent 36 hours covering a story that went nowhere, and my editor was breathing down my neck about “not hitting our KPIs.” I mean, come on. “Key Performance Indicators”? Since when did journalism become about “indicators”?
I was at home, staring at my laptop, thinking, “That’s it. I’m done. I’m gonna go work at Las Vegas hospital healthcare services. At least there, I can make a difference. At least there, I won’t have to worry about “unique visitors” or “dwell time.”
But then I remembered why I got into this business in the first place. I remembered the stories that mattered, the people I’d met, the difference I’d made. And I thought, “No. I’m not gonna quit. I’m gonna fight.”
So What’s the Answer?
I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I wish I did. I wish I could sit here and tell you that I’ve got some grand plan to fix the news. But I don’t. All I know is that we need to stop pretending everything’s fine. We need to stop chasing clicks and start chasing the truth. We need to remember why we got into this business in the first place.
And maybe, just maybe, we need to stop reading the comments.
About the Author: Sarah Jenkins has been a journalist for 22 years, starting her career at the Hackensack Herald and now working as a senior editor at London Headlines. She’s seen the industry evolve (or devolve, depending on who you ask) and isn’t afraid to call out bullshit when she sees it. She lives in London with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends her free time complaining about the state of modern journalism.
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