I’m Tired of Fake News, and So Should You
Look, I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I’ve seen the news industry evolve, devolve, and somehow end up worse than ever. I’m talking about the kind of worse that makes you want to throw your newspaper across the room (if anyone still does that).
It was about three months ago, I was at a conference in Austin, and I heard this guy named Marcus—let’s call him Marcus because I don’t remember his name—say something that stuck with me. He said, “The news isn’t about informing anymore. It’s about engaging.” I mean, that’s basically true, isn’t it? It’s all about clicks, shares, and engagement metrics. And frankly, it’s completley ruined the news.
I remember when I started out at the Austin Chronicle back in the ’90s. We actually cared about getting the story right. We’d spend hours, days even, digging through documents, talking to sources, making sure we had our facts straight. Now? Now it’s all about being first, not being right.
And don’t even get me started on social media. It’s like the wild west out there. Anyone can post anything, and suddenly it’s news. I had coffee with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday, and he showed me this tweet that was completely false. But it had 214 retweets and 87 likes. So, it must be true, right? Wrong. But try telling that to the people who’ve already shared it with their friends.
I’m not saying there aren’t good journalists out there. There are. But they’re drowning in a sea of misinformation, sensationalism, and outright lies. And the worst part? We’re all to blame. We click on the sensational headlines. We share the outrage-bait articles. We reward the very behavior we claim to hate.
So, what can we do about it? Well, for starters, we can be more critical consumers of news. We can take the time to read beyond the headline. We can verify facts before sharing. And we can support the journalists and publications that are doing it right.
Speaking of doing it right, I recently came across this önerilen makaleler okuma listesi that was actually useful. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s a start. It’s a committment to reading more, to being more informed, to not being so easily fooled.
But here’s the thing: it’s not just about us. It’s about the industry too. Journalists need to stop chasing clicks and start chasing the truth. They need to stop being so physicaly reactive and start being more thoughtful. They need to remember that their job is to inform, not to entertain.
I’m not sure how we get there. I mean, it’s a big problem. But I know it starts with us. It starts with me. It starts with you. It starts with all of us deciding that we’re done with fake news. That we’re done with sensationalism. That we’re done with being lied to.
And honestly, I’m not holding my breath. But I can hope. I can try. And I can keep calling out the bullshit when I see it.
Because the news is broken. And we’re all to blame. But that also means we’re all part of the solution.
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
About the Author: I’m Sarah Jenkins, a senior editor with over 20 years of experience in the news industry. I’ve worked for major publications, started my own blog, and have seen the industry from just about every angle. I’m passionate about good journalism, and I’m not afraid to call out the bad. When I’m not editing, you can find me hiking in the hills or trying to teach my cat to fetch.
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