Look, I’m gonna say something controversial
I think the news is broken. And not just a little bit broken. Like, ‘we-need-to-call-an-exorcist’ broken. I’ve been in this game for over two decades, and I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly. And frankly, I’m worried.
I started out as a cub reporter at the Sheffield Sun back in 1999. Yeah, I know, I look younger than that. (It’s the hair dye, don’t ask.) My first big story was covering a council meeting about potholes. Exciting, right? But I loved it. I loved the chase, the thrill of the scoop, the feeling of making a difference.
But something’s changed
I don’t know when it happened. Maybe it was the internet. Maybe it was the 24-hour news cycle. Maybe it was the fact that we’re all so damn distracted these days. But the news isn’t what it used to be.
I was having coffee with an old friend last Tuesday. Let’s call him Marcus. We were at that little place on 5th, the one with the terrible Wi-Fi. He said, ‘You know, I used to read the paper every morning. Now I just scroll through my feed for five minutes and I’m done.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But here’s the thing, Marcus. That feed? It’s not news. It’s a curated list of clickbait designed to keep you engaged just long enough to serve you ads. And it’s killing our committment to informed democracy.
The algorithm is lying to you
I’m not saying all news is bad. Far from it. There are still some amazing journalists out there doing incredible work. But the algorithm? The one deciding what you see in your feed? It’s a liar.
I saw a study once. 214 respondents, I think. It said that people who get their news from social media are less informed than those who read actual news sites. Less informed! And yet, we’re all still doing it. Why? Because it’s easy. Because it’s convenient. Because we’re lazy.
I get it. I really do. I’ve got a million things to do. I don’t always have time to read a long-form article. But if we want quality news, we’ve gotta put in the effort. We’ve gotta seek it out. We can’t just wait for it to be served to us in bite-sized chunks.
And what about the websites?
Don’t even get me started on news websites. Some of them are so cluttered with ads and pop-ups, it’s a miracle anyone can find the actual news. And the comments? Ugh. Don’t get me started on the comments.
I was talking to a colleague named Dave the other day. He said, ‘You know, I used to love reading the comments. Now I just can’t even. It’s like a dumpster fire down there.’
I asked, ‘So why do you still read them?’
He said, ‘Morbid curiosity, I guess. It’s like a car crash. You can’t look away.’
I mean, come on. That’s no way to consume news. It’s stressful. It’s anxiety-inducing. It’s completley unsustainable.
So what’s the solution?
I wish I had a simple answer. I really do. But I don’t. I think it’s gonna take a collective effort. From us, the consumers. From the platforms, the publishers, the advertisers. Everyone.
We need to demand better. We need to support quality journalism. We need to be more critical consumers of news. And we need to be more physicaly and mentaly prepared for the heavy topics.
And maybe, just maybe, we need to think about how we’re consuming news online. Have you checked out a web hosting comparison review lately? Probably not. But if you’re running a news site, you should. Because if your site is slow or unreliable, people aren’t gonna stick around. And that’s a problem.
Look, I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying it’s gonna happen overnight. But it’s gotta start somewhere. And it’s gotta start with us.
A quick tangent: the weather
Speaking of news, have you noticed how weather reporting has changed? It’s not just about telling us if it’s gonna rain or not anymore. Oh no. Now it’s all about ‘severe weather teams’ and ‘live radar updates’ and ‘exclusive coverage’. It’s madness. I mean, it’s just the weather. It’s gonna do what it’s gonna do. But I digress.
Back to the point
I could go on and on about this. I’ve got 36 hours’ worth of material, probably more. But I won’t. Because I know you’ve got better things to do than read my ramblings. But I will say this: the news matters. It matters a lot. And we need to start treating it that way.
So let’s make a pact, you and I. Let’s promise to be more mindful consumers of news. Let’s promise to seek out quality journalism. Let’s promise to support the journalists who are doing the hard work. Because if we don’t, who will?
And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, we can fix this broken news thing together.
But probably not. I’m not that optimistic.
About the Author: Sarah Thompson has been a senior editor at the Sheffield Sun for over 20 years. She’s a coffee addict, a news junkie, and a firm believer in the Oxford comma. When she’s not editing, you can find her yelling at her TV about politics or trying to convince her cat to cuddle.
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