Look, I Love Journalism
I’ve been in this game for 22 years. Started as a cub reporter in Glasgow, worked my way up, you know the drill. But honestly? The news is broken. And it’s not just because of the obvious stuff, the clickbait, the algorithms. It’s deeper than that.
I remember back in 2008, during the financial crisis, I was at a conference in Austin with a guy named Marcus. We were both trying to make sense of the chaos. He said, “We’re not just reporting the news, we’re creating it.” Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But now? Now it’s like we’re stuck in this endless loop of outrage and trivia. And don’t even get me started on the comments section. Ugh.
Let’s Talk About Trust
I was at a pub last Tuesday with a colleague named Dave. We were talking about trust in the media. He said, “People don’t trust us anymore.” I said, “Well, have you seen some of the stuff we put out?” I mean, come on. We’ve gotta do better.
And it’s not just about being accurate, though that’s obviously important. It’s about being honest. About admitting when we don’t know something. About not reducing complex issues to soundbites. It’s about committment to the truth, even when it’s inconvenient.
I think the problem is, we’re so focused on the next story, the next hit, that we forget about the big picture. We forget about the people.
A Quick Rant About SEO
Don’t even get me started on SEO. I mean, I get it, we need to drive traffic. But sometimes I feel like we’re so busy optimizing for search engines that we forget about the actual humans reading our stuff. You know, the ones who actually pay our salaries?
And look, I’m not saying we should ignore SEO completely. But we need to find a balance. We need to write for people, not algorithms. If you’re looking for a good seo tools comparison guide, you’ll find tons of them out there. But honestly, sometimes the best way to drive traffic is to write something actually worth reading.
The Human Side of News
I was at a workshop in Edinburgh a few months ago, and the speaker said something that stuck with me. She said, “News is about people. It’s about their stories, their struggles, their triumphs.” And I thought, yeah. That’s it. That’s what we’re missing.
We’re so focused on the drama, the conflict, that we forget about the humans at the center of it all. We forget to ask, “How does this affect real people?” And that’s a problem.
I’m not saying we should avoid tough topics. But we need to approach them with empathy. With understanding. With a recognition that behind every headline, there are real lives at stake.
A Tangent About Physicaly Writing
You know what I miss? The days when we actually had to physicaly write our stories out by hand. I know, I know, it’s not 1987 anymore. But there was something about the process that made me think more carefully about what I was writing. Now, it’s too easy to just type away and hit publish. We need to slow down. To think. To edit.
And look, I’m not saying we should go back to typewriters. But maybe we need to find a way to bring some of that deliberation back into our digital workflow. Maybe we need to remind ourselves that every word matters.
Where Do We Go From Here?
I don’t have all the answers. Honestly, I’m not even sure I have any of the answers. But I know this: we need to do better. We need to be better.
We need to remember why we got into this business in the first place. We need to remember that our words have power. That they can inform, inspire, and even change the world.
So let’s get back to that. Let’s get back to telling stories that matter. Let’s get back to writing for people, not algorithms. Let’s get back to being the kind of journalists that our readers deserve.
Because the news is broken. And it’s up to us to fix it.
About the Author: Jane Thompson is a senior editor with over two decades of experience in journalism. She’s worked for major publications across the UK and has a passion for storytelling that matters. When she’s not editing, you can find her hiking in the Scottish Highlands or arguing about politics on Twitter.
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