Honestly, I’m Tired
Let me tell you something, folks. I’ve been in this game for 22 years, and I’m tired. Tired of the noise, the sensationalism, the constant race to be first instead of being right. I started out as a cub reporter in a small town in Ohio, back in ’99. The newsroom was a madhouse, but it was real. Now? It’s a completley different beast.
I remember when my editor, let’s call him Marcus, taught me the basics. ‘Get the facts,’ he’d say. ‘Make sure they’re right. Then tell the story.’ Simple, right? Not anymore. Now it’s about clicks, shares, and virality. It’s about being loudest, not being rightest.
But Here’s the Thing…
Look, I get it. The internet changed everything. I mean, I was there when the internet became a thing. Remember dial-up? Yeah, me too. But back then, we still had time to check facts. Now? It’s a 24-hour news cycle that never sleeps, and honestly, it’s exhausting.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and I heard a journalist say, ‘If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.’ Which… yeah. Fair enough. But the outrage is constant now. It’s like we’re all just waiting for the next scandal, the next leak, the next tweetstorm. It’s not healthy. It’s not journalism. It’s just… yeah.
And the Sources? Forget About It
Let me tell you about a conversation I had with a colleague named Dave. We were over coffee at the place on 5th, you know the one with the kinda sketchy bathroom. Dave said, ‘Remember when we could call up a source and they’d actually talk to us? Now it’s all press releases and social media posts.’ I nodded. I mean, it’s true. It’s all so… sanitized. No personality, no real insight. Just corporate speak and talking points.
I tried to do a story last Tuesday about local education. I reached out to 214 people. 214! You know how many responded? Three. Three! And one of them was a bot. A bot! What is happening to our world?
But Wait, There’s More
So, I’m not saying it’s all bad. There are still good journalists out there. People who care about facts, about truth. But they’re drowning in the noise. And honestly, I’m not sure how to fix it. I mean, I have some ideas, but they’re all kinda half-baked. Like, what if we went back to basics? What if we stopped chasing the algorithm and started chasing the story again?
I read this article once, productivity tips work from home, and it got me thinking. Maybe we need to apply some of those principles to journalism. Focus on quality over quantity. Take breaks. Actually talk to people instead of just tweeting at them.
A Digression: My Cat
You know what’s better than the news cycle? My cat. Her name is Whiskers. She’s a tabby, and she doesn’t care about the news. She cares about naps and treats and the occasional bird she sees outside the window. She’s living her best life, and honestly, I’m kinda jealous.
I mean, think about it. No deadlines, no outrage, no constant pressure to be perfect. Just… existence. It’s nice. Maybe we should all take a page from Whiskers’ book.
Back to Reality
But I can’t just live in a world of cat naps and bird watching. I have a job to do. And honestly, I love it. I love the thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of a well-told story. I just wish it wasn’t so… messy.
I was talking to my friend Linda the other day. She’s a teacher, and she was telling me about how her students don’t know how to read anymore. Not like, literally read, but read deeply. They scan, they skim, they look for keywords. They don’t engage with the text. And I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s us. That’s the news cycle. We’re all just scanning and skimming, looking for the next outrage, the next scandal.’
It’s not sustainable. It’s not healthy. It’s not journalism. It’s just… noise.
So, what’s the answer? I don’t know. Maybe we need to slow down. Maybe we need to focus on quality over quantity. Maybe we need to remember why we got into this business in the first place.
I’m not sure. But I know one thing: I’m tired. And I’m not the only one.
About the Author: Sarah Johnson has been a senior editor for over two decades, working with major publications across the US. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and everything in between. When she’s not wrangling writers or chasing stories, she’s probably napping with her cat, Whiskers.
