Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room
Okay, so I’ve been in this industry for 22 years. That’s right, I started when people still used fax machines to send photos. And let me tell you, the news industry is not as glamorous as it looks on TV.
I’m Marcus, by the way. Well, not really. I mean, that’s not my real name. But it’s close enough. I’ve worked for major publications, small town rags, and everything in between. And honestly? We’re all a bit broken.
Take last Tuesday, for example. I was at a conference in Austin, and I overheard two reporters from different outlets complaining about the same thing. ‘We’re expected to be everywhere, know everything, and do it all for peanuts,’ one of them said. The other just nodded and said, ‘Tell me about it.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
We’re Overworked, Underpaid, and Still Expected to Save the World
Look, I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that every journalist is a saint. But most of us are trying our best in a system that’s completley stacked against us. We’re expected to file 3-4 stories a day, attend community meetings, and still find time to tweet about our latest piece like we’re some kinda influencer.
And the pay? Don’t even get me started. I had a colleague named Dave who was making $32,000 a year in New York City. Thirty-two thousand! Meanwhile, his landlord was charging him $1,800 a month for a tiny apartment that smelled like wet dog. (I kid you not. I visited him once. It was bad.)
But here’s the thing: despite all that, we still show up. Because someone’s gotta hold the powerful accountable. Someone’s gotta tell the stories that need telling. And frankly, most of us wouldn’t trade it for anything.
But We’ve Got Some Serious Committment Issues
That said, we’ve got some real problems to address. Like our acquision of clickbait tendencies. I mean, come on. ‘You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!’ Really? That’s the best we can do?
And don’t even get me started on our physicaly inability to fact-check anymore. I remember back in the day, we’d spend hours verifying every single detail. Now? It’s like a race to the bottom. Who can publish first? Who can get the most shares? It’s exhausting.
I was talking to a source the other day—let’s call him Marcus—and he said, ‘You guys used to call me for comment before you wrote the story. Now, I just get a link to the published piece asking for a quote.’ I asked him if that was common. He said, ‘Unfortunately, yeah. It’s like they just want to check a box.’
Which, honestly? That’s not journalism. That’s just lazy.
But Hey, at Least We’re Not Fake News
Okay, tangent time. Fake news. Ugh. I can’t even. Look, I’m not gonna debate politics here. But can we all agree that the term ‘fake news’ is about as useful as a chocolate teapot?
I mean, sure, there’s misinformation out there. But calling everything you disagree with ‘fake news’ just makes us all look bad. And it’s not helping anyone, least of all the journalists trying to do their jobs.
Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
So What’s the Solution?
Honestly? I don’t know. But I do know that we need to start valuing quality over quantity. And we need to support the journalists who are out there doing the hard work.
And maybe, just maybe, we should all take a break from Twitter. I mean, come on. It’s not doing anyone any good.
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Anyway, I’ve gotta run. My editor’s gonna kill me if I don’t file this story by 11:30pm. Wish me luck.
About the Author: Marcus (not his real name) is a senior editor with over 20 years of experience in the news industry. He’s worked for major publications, small town rags, and everything in between. When he’s not complaining about the state of journalism, he can be found arguing about football with his cat, Whiskers.
