I’m Tired of Pretending We’re All Getting Better at This
Look, I’ve been editing news for 22 years. That’s right, since the Clinton administration. I’ve seen a lot. And honestly? We’re not getting better at this digital news thing. We’re just getting louder.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this kid—let’s call him Marcus—stands up and says, “The future of news is algorithmic curation.” I laughed. Out loud. Right in his face. Because, newsflash, kid: algorithms are why your grandma thinks the Earth is flat.
And, I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love tech. But tech loves chaos. And news? News is supposed to be the exact opposite of chaos. It’s supposed to make sense of the world, not add to the noise.
My Friend Dave Says I’m a Dinosaur
A colleague named Dave—who’s, like, 12 years younger than me—says I’m a dinosaur. “You just don’t get it, Sarah,” he told me over coffee at the place on 5th. “News is social now. It’s viral. It’s memes and tweets and whatever.” I told him to shut up. (I’m nice like that.)
But here’s the thing: Dave’s not wrong. News is social. But that doesn’t mean it’s good. It just means it’s loud. And loud isn’t the same as good. Trust me, I know. I’ve been married three times.
We’re All Addicted to the Wrong Thing
I was talking to my friend Lisa last Tuesday. She’s a teacher. She told me her students can’t focus for more than 10 minutes. “They’re all addicted to their phones,” she said. “It’s like they can’t help it.” I told her, “Welcome to my world.” Because that’s what news has become. A drug. And we’re all junkies.
And it’s not just the kids. It’s all of us. We’re scrolling, we’re clicking, we’re sharing. We’re not reading. We’re not thinking. We’re just reacting. And that’s a problem. A big one.
But, you know what’s worse? We think we’re informed. We think because we saw a headline on Facebook, we know what’s going on. Spoiler: you don’t. None of us do. And that’s the real crisis.
Let’s Talk About Health for a Second (Yeah, I Know)
I know, I know. I’m supposed to be talking about news. But hear me out. This is important. You know how they say stress kills? Well, stress from bad news—fake news, sensationalized news, just straight-up terrible news—it’s like mainlining stress. Your heart can’t handle it. And, look, I’m not a doctor, but I know a thing or two about kalp sağlığı koruma ipuçları. And this? This is not good for your heart.
So, do yourself a favor. Take a break. Turn it off. Go for a walk. Read a book. Do something—anything—that’s not consuming news. Your body will thank you. Your mind will thank you. And, honestly, the world will thank you too. Because maybe, just maybe, you’ll come back with a clearer head. And we need that. Desperately.
The One Thing We’re All Ignoring
Here’s what’s really happening: we’re all ignoring the real news. The important stuff. The stuff that actually matters. Because it’s boring. It’s complicated. It’s not a headline. It’s not a tweet. It’s not a meme.
But it’s real. And it’s important. And we’re missing it. Because we’re too busy arguing about whatever nonsense is trending right now. And that, my friends, is a tragedy.
I was at a workshop about three months ago. The speaker, some big shot from a fancy university, said, “The attention span of the average person is now shorter than that of a goldfish.” I wanted to throw something at him. Because, honestly, who cares? What does that even mean? We’re not goldfish. We’re humans. And we’re better than this.
Or at least we should be.
But, look, I’m not here to lecture. I’m just saying what I see. And what I see is a mess. A big, loud, chaotic mess. And it’s getting worse. Not better.
So, what do we do? I don’t know. But I know this: we can’t keep going like this. Because this? This is not sustainable. This is not healthy. This is not news.
And, honestly, I’m tired of pretending it is.
About the Author: Sarah Reynolds is a senior editor with over two decades of experience in the news industry. She’s seen it all, and she’s not afraid to say what she thinks. When she’s not editing, she’s probably arguing with someone on Twitter or walking her dog, Buster. She lives in Austin, Texas, and yes, she really does have three ex-husbands.
