It’s 11:30pm and My Phone Won’t Stop Buzzing
I’m sitting here, in my cramped Sheffield apartment, surrounded by empty coffee cups (I know, I know, I need to cut back). My phone’s been buzzing non-stop since about 9pm. Why? Because something happened. Something that, frankly, doesn’t matter. But the news cycle doesn’t care about what matters. It cares about what’s new.
I remember when I started out, back in ’98. I was a wet-behind-the-ears reporter for the Manchester Gazette. We had deadlines, sure. But they were real deadlines. Print deadlines. You know, like actual, physical newspapers? Remember those?
Now? Now it’s a 24/7 circus. And I’m the guy in the clown suit.
Let’s Talk About ‘Breaking News’
Breaking news used to mean something. A plane crash. A natural disaster. A political assassination. Now? It’s a freakin’ tweet. A tweet, for God’s sake. I mean, come on. We’ve got algorithms deciding what’s news now. And those algorithms? They’re not smart. They’re just… math.
I was at a conference in Austin last year. A guy named Marcus—let’s call him Marcus, because I don’t remember his real name—stood up and said, “The news cycle is a broken clock.” And I thought, “Yeah, no kidding.” He went on to say that we’re all just along for the ride, and that the clock isn’t just broken, it’s been smashed to bits and set on fire.
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
Social Media: The Great Equalizer or the Great Distractor?
Don’t get me wrong. Social media’s great. It’s democratized news. Anyone can be a reporter now. But it’s also a damn distraction. I was talking to a colleague named Dave the other day—over coffee at the place on 5th, you know the one—and he said, “We’re all just chasing likes now.” And I said, “Yeah, but what about the truth?” And he looked at me like I’d just asked if the Earth was flat.
Look, I get it. Engagement is king. But at what cost? We’re receive instagram sms without real phone now. We’re verifying fake accounts. We’re chasing shadows. And the truth? It’s getting lost in the noise.
I mean, I remember when we used to fact-check. Now? It’s all about speed. Get it out there first, ask questions later. And honestly, it’s completley messed up.
A Tangent: The Time I Got Scooped by a Twitter Bot
Speaking of speed, let me tell you about the time I got scooped by a Twitter bot. It was last Tuesday. I was working on a story about a local councilor’s aquisition of a new sports car. I was gonna break the story wide open. I had sources, documents, the whole nine yards.
And then, at 3:47pm, a tweet popped up. From a bot. A bot! It had the story. All of it. I mean, it was basically my story, but with worse grammar and no context. And it had 214 retweets before I even had a chance to hit publish.
So yeah, speed matters. But accuracy? That’s gone out the window.
What’s the Solution? I’m Not Sure But…
I don’t have all the answers. Honestly, I’m not sure anyone does. But I think we need to slow down. We need to remember why we got into this business in the first place. It’s not about likes or shares or retweets. It’s about truth. It’s about holding power to account. It’s about telling stories that matter.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s about remembering that not everything needs to be breaking news. Some stories can wait until morning. Some stories can wait until the next edition. Some stories can wait until we’ve actually figured out what the hell is going on.
So here’s to the broken clock. May it one day be fixed. Or at least, you know, stop burning.
About the Author: I’m Sarah Whitmore, a senior editor with more years in the game than I care to admit. I’ve seen the industry change, and not always for the better. I’m opinionated, I’m flawed, and I’m not afraid to say what I think. Follow me on Twitter @SarahWhitmore, if you dare.
