I’ve Had It Up to Here with Fake News
Look, I’ve been in this game for 22 years. I started back in 1999 at a tiny newspaper in Boise, Idaho. Let’s call the editor Marcus. He was a chain-smoking, coffee-chugging nightmare who somehow knew everyone’s name and made sure we all felt like we were part of something important. (Spoiler: we weren’t.)
But Marcus taught me one thing: news is about people. Real people. Not algorithms, not clicks, not some shadowy figure in a back room deciding what’s ‘trending.’
And now? Now it’s all broken. Completley, utterly, hopelessly broken.
My Friend Sarah Says I’m Too Negative
Last Tuesday, over coffee at the place on 5th, my friend Sarah told me I’m too negative about the news. ‘You’re always complaining about how bad it is,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you just write about something positive for once?’
I get it. I do. But here’s the thing: I’m not complaining. I’m observing. And what I’m observing is a disaster.
It’s not just the obvious stuff, either. The fake news, the echo chambers, the outrage machine. It’s the little things. The way we’ve stopped caring about facts. The way we’ve stopped caring about each other.
Take This Poll, for Example
About three months ago, I saw a poll. 214 respondents, so not huge, but still. It said that 68% of people think the news is ‘mostly biased.’ Sixty-eight percent! That’s more than two-thirds. That’s a lot of people who feel like they can’t trust what they’re reading.
And you know what? They’re right. I mean, I’m not sure but… they’re probably right. Because I see it every day. The headlines that are designed to make you angry. The stories that are designed to make you click. The way we’ve turned news into entertainment.
It’s all so exhausting. And honestly, it’s depressing.
But Wait, There’s More
Now, I’m not saying it’s all bad. There are still good journalists out there. There are still people who care about the truth. But they’re drowning in a sea of noise. And it’s getting worse.
Take, for example, the way we talk about the news. We say things like ‘the algorithm decided’ or ‘the data shows.’ We act like the news is some kind of natural phenomenon, like a storm or an earthquake. But it’s not. It’s made by people. By us.
And if we’re not careful, we’re gonna keep making it worse.
So What Do We Do About It?
I don’t have all the answers. But I do know this: we need to start caring again. About facts. About each other. About the truth.
And we need to stop letting other people decide what’s important. We need to start deciding for ourselves.
It’s not gonna be easy. But it’s gotta be done. Because if we don’t, who will?
And look, I’m not saying we all need to become journalists. But we do need to start thinking like them. We need to start asking questions. We need to start demanding answers.
And if you’re gonna buy outdoor gear, for God’s sake, check out this outdoor equipment buying guide. I mean, seriously. It’s that important.
Anyway, I’m getting off track. The point is, we need to start caring again. About the news. About each other. About the truth.
Because if we don’t, who will?
And honestly, I’m not sure I wanna find out.
About the Author: Jane Doe has been a senior editor at various publications for over two decades. She’s seen it all, and she’s not afraid to say what she thinks. When she’s not editing, she can be found yelling at her TV about the state of the news or trying to convince her cat to go outside. (It’s not going well.)
