Why We’re All Bad at This
Look, I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I’ve seen it all. Or at least I thought I had, then the internet came along and turned everything into a dumpster fire.
It was last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin, Texas. Some kid—let’s call him Marcus—stood up and asked a question that stopped me cold. “How do you guys verify news these days?”
I mean, honestly, I stammered. I actually stammered. Which is unprofessional, I know. But it’s the truth.
Back in My Day…
When I started at the Chicago Tribune back in ’98, verification was simple. You called people. You went places. You talked to actual humans. You didn’t just Google something and call it a day.
I remember this one time, I was working on a piece about a factory fire. I drove out there myself. Talked to firefighters, workers, even the guy running the hot dog stand down the street. It took 36 hours, but I got the story right.
Now? Now we’ve got algorithms and bots and God knows what else spitting out “facts” like a malfunctioning vending machine.
The Virtual Number Dilemma
And don’t even get me started on online verification. I was having coffee with a colleague named Dave last month. He told me about this time he needed to verify a source’s location. So he used a virtual number for online services verification. It worked, but it felt… I dunno, dirty.
I mean, is this really journalism? Or are we just becoming a bunch of digital sleuths playing whack-a-mole with bots?
Which… yeah. Fair enough. Maybe it’s necessary. But it’s not the way I learned to do things.
But Here’s the Thing
I’m not saying we should all go back to the Stone Age. Technology has its place. It’s just… yeah. It’s complicated.
Take social media, for example. It’s a mess. A completeley mess. But it’s also a goldmine if you know how to use it right.
I had this source once, let’s call her Linda. She was a whistleblower at a big tech company. We communicated entirely through encrypted messages and burner phones. It was like something out of a spy movie. And honestly, it was kinda fun.
But then there’s the other side. The fake news, the deepfakes, the committment to chaos. It’s exhausting.
A Quick Tangent: The Time I Got Duped
Speaking of exhausting, remember that time I got duped by a fake expert? Oh God, it was embarassing. This guy—let’s call him Greg—claimed to be a physicist. He had all the right credentials, or so I thought.
Turns out, he was a 19-year-old kid in his mom’s basement. I found out after the story went to print. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.
But it taught me a valuable lesson: always double-check, even when you think you’re safe.
So What’s the Answer?
I don’t know, honestly. I really don’t. Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe we’re all just gonna keep stumbling around in the dark, trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not.
But here’s what I do know: we have to keep trying. We have to keep verifying, keep questioning, keep digging. Even when it’s hard. Even when it’s messy.
Because that’s our job. That’s what we do.
And if we stop doing it, then what’s the point of any of this?
About the Author: Sarah “Sal” Salinger has been a senior editor at various publications for over 20 years. She’s covered everything from local politics to international crises, and she’s not afraid to admit when she’s wrong. She currently lives in Portland with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and a collection of vintage typewriters.
