I’m Tired of Pretending We’re All Getting Our News the Right Way
Look, I’ve been editing news features for 22 years. That’s right, 22. I started when the internet was still wearing diapers. And let me tell you, the way we consume news is a completley mess. And I’m not just talking about the algorithms or the echo chambers. I’m talking about us, the people.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this guy—let’s call him Marcus—told me he gets his news from Instagram memes. I kid you not. I asked him, “Marcus, what about, you know, facts?” And he just shrugged. “It’s funny,” he said. “That’s what matters.” Which… yeah. Fair enough, I guess. But still.
Honestly, I’m not sure when we collectively decided that entertainment was more important than information. But here we are. And it’s not just Marcus. It’s all of us. We’re all complicit in this mess.
But Here’s the Thing About News…
News isn’t supposed to be entertaining. It’s supposed to be informative. It’s supposed to make us think, to challenge us, to make us uncomfortable sometimes. But we’ve turned it into a spectacle. And it’s not just the outlets, it’s us. We demand spectacle. We demand drama. We demand outrage.
I had lunch with a colleague named Dave about three months ago. He told me he unfollowed all his news outlets on social media because it was “too much.” “Too much what?” I asked. “Too much drama,” he said. “Too much outrage. Too much… noise.” And I get that. But then what? Do we just ignore the news? Do we just pretend it’s not there?
I’m not saying we should all become news junkies. But we should at least try to be informed. We should at least try to understand the world around us. And that means consuming news that’s not just entertaining. It means consuming news that’s actually news.
And Let’s Talk About the Government Policy News Update
Speaking of news, have you seen the latest government policy news update? No? That’s probably because it’s not being presented in a way that’s engaging or accessible. It’s just a bunch of dry text and boring charts. And that’s a problem.
But here’s the thing: government policy affects our lives in a big way. It affects our jobs, our health, our education. It affects everything. So why aren’t we paying attention? Why aren’t we demanding better coverage? Why aren’t we demanding that news outlets make this stuff accessible and engaging?
I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying it’s simple. But it’s important. And we should at least try.
A Tangent: The Time I Tried to Read the News on My Phone
So, last Tuesday, I decided to try something new. I decided to read the news on my phone. I know, I know. I’m late to the party. But I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And honestly, it was a disaster.
First of all, the font was too small. I had to squint to read it. And second of all, the articles were all over the place. One minute I was reading about politics, the next I was looking at a slideshow of celebrity outfits. It was a mess. And it made me realize something: we’re not designed to consume news this way. We’re designed to read, to think, to engage. Not to scroll, to skim, to react.
But here’s the thing: I’m not blaming the technology. I’m blaming us. We’re the ones who demand this kind of news consumption. We’re the ones who demand that news fit into our tiny little screens and even tinier attention spans. And it’s not working. It’s not making us more informed. It’s making us more ignorant.
So What Do We Do?
I don’t have all the answers. But I have some ideas. First of all, we need to demand better from our news outlets. We need to demand that they make their content accessible and engaging. We need to demand that they prioritize information over entertainment.
And second of all, we need to change the way we consume news. We need to put down our phones. We need to pick up a book, or a newspaper, or a magazine. We need to take the time to read, to think, to engage. Because that’s the only way we’re gonna become more informed. That’s the only way we’re gonna understand the world around us.
It’s not gonna be easy. It’s not gonna be simple. But it’s important. And we should at least try.
Because honestly, we can do better than this. We can be better than this. We just have to want it.
About the Author: Jane Doe is a senior magazine editor with 22 years of experience in the news industry. She’s worked for major publications and has seen it all. She’s opinionated, flawed, and not afraid to say what she thinks. She believes in the power of journalism to inform, to challenge, and to make a difference. She also believes in the power of a good cup of coffee. Follow her on Twitter @janedoeeditor.
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