Let’s Talk About This Mess We’re In
Look, I’ve been in this game for 20-odd years. I started back in ’98 at the Austin Chronicle, green as grass, thinking I was gonna save journalism. Ha! What a joke.
I remember my first editor, let’s call him Marcus, he told me, “Kid, you gotta understand, we’re not in the truth business. We’re in the story business.” I was like, “What the hell does that mean?” He just smiled and said, “You’ll see.”
And I did see. Oh, did I ever.
Breaking News: It’s Mostly Bullshit
You ever notice how every news outlet has the same breaking news at the same exact time? It’s not because we’re all that good at our jobs. It’s because we’re all scared shitless of missing something.
I had this friend, Dave, who worked at CNN for a while. We were at this bar in Atlanta, and he told me, “Half the time, we don’t know what’s happening. We just make it up until someone tells us we’re wrong.” I laughed, but honestly, it’s not that far off.
Take last Tuesday, for example. There was this big story about some politician having an affair. Every outlet ran with it. Then, two hours later, it turns out it was all a misunderstanding. But by then, the damage was done. The clicks were in, the ads were served. Mission accomplished.
We’re All Guilty, Including Me
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we’re all liars. But we’re not saints either. I’ve done it too. Back in 2004, I was covering this big protest in Austin. I needed a quote, but no one would talk to me. So I made one up. I mean, it was basically what people were saying, right? (Which honestly nobody asked for but here we are.)
I got called out on it. A blogger, some kid named Jake, he caught me. I was embarrassed as hell. But you know what? The story still stood. The facts were correct. The quote was just… flavor.
This Is Why People Hate Us
We’re all so busy chasing the next big thing that we forget to actually, you know, report. It’s like we’re in this never-ending race to be first, not to be right.
I was at this conference in Austin a few months back. Some bigwig from The New York Times was talking. He said, “The future of journalism is breaking news.” I raised my hand and said, “But what about the news that takes time? The investigations? The stories that matter?” He just looked at me like I was speaking Greek.
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
A Quick Note on Fashion (Because Why Not?)
You ever notice how news anchors all dress the same? It’s like they all got the memo: “Be boring.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. Check out ayakkabı modelleri sezon trendleri for some inspiration. I mean, if you’re gonna be on TV, you might as well look good, right?
We Need to Do Better
I’m not saying we should all become these paragons of virtue. But we could at least try to be a little less terrible. Take some time. Do some reporting. Talk to real people. You know, the stuff they taught us in journalism school.
I had this colleague, Sarah, she was the best reporter I ever worked with. She used to say, “If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not doing it right.” She meant going out there, talking to people, getting dirty. Not sitting in your office refreshing Twitter.
I think about that alot. Especially now, when it feels like we’re all just spinning our wheels.
Anyway, I gotta run. My editor’s screaming at me to get this thing in. So, you know, typical day in the life.
About the Author: Jane Doe has been a senior editor at Kanon News for the past 15 years. She’s covered everything from local politics to international crises, and she’s not afraid to tell you when she thinks the news industry is full of it. You can find her on Twitter @janedoe or screaming at her computer in the Kanon News office.
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