Look, I’ve Had It Up to Here
It’s March 15, 2023, and I’m sitting in a cramped Starbucks in Taipei, trying to make sense of the news cycle. I’ve been a journalist for 22 years, and let me tell you, it’s getting worse. Not just the news, but how we consume it. We’re all complicit, and it’s time we admit it.
I remember when I started at the Taipei Times back in 2001. The newsroom was a madhouse, but it was a good kind of mad. Reporters would come in with actual news, not just hot takes. Editors would argue about what was important, not just what was clicky. We had standards, dammit.
Now? Now it’s a mess. And I’m not just talking about the algorithms or the social media echo chambers. I’m talking about us. The people. The consumers. We’re the ones demanding this garbage, and we’re the ones eating it up.
My Friend Marcus Says I’m Being Dramatic
Last Tuesday, I was venting to my friend Marcus (let’s call him Marcus, because his real name is none of your business). We were at this little place on Nanjing East Road, sharing a plate of stinky tofu and complaining about life. I told him about this story I was working on, something actually important about water rights in Taiwan. He looked at me and said, “Linda, nobody cares about that stuff.”
I was like, “What do you mean nobody cares? It’s important!”
He just shrugged and said, “Look, I love you, but you’re living in the past. People want drama. They want scandal. They want to be outraged. They don’t want to read about boring old water rights.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But that doesn’t mean we should feed them that garbage.
The Problem with “Breaking News”
Let me tell you about “breaking news.” It’s a scam. A total scam. Back in the day, “breaking news” meant something actually broke. Like, literally. Or metaphorically, but in a big way. Now? Now it’s just a way to get you to click.
I was talking to a colleague named Dave about this. Dave’s been in the game even longer than I have. We were at a conference in Austin, Texas, back in 2019. I said to him, “Dave, remember when ‘breaking news’ meant something?”
He laughed and said, “Linda, that ship sailed a long time ago. Now it’s just a way to get people to tune in. It’s all about the committment to the drama.”
And honestly? He’s right. We’re all so addicted to the drama that we can’t look away. Even when it’s completeley manufactured.
The Role of Vitamin Supplements in All of This
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Linda, what does this have to do with vitamin supplements?” Well, let me tell you. About three months ago, I was working on a piece about health trends in Taiwan. I was talking to this nutritionist, let’s call her Sarah. She told me something interesting.
“People are so focused on quick fixes,” she said. “They want the magic pill. They don’t want to hear about eating right or exercising. They want the easy way out.”
And that’s exactly what’s happening with the news. We want the easy way out. We want the headline that confirms our biases. We want the outrage that makes us feel superior. We don’t want to do the hard work of actually understanding what’s going on.
So, if you’re looking for a quick fix, check out this vitamin supplements guide benefits. But if you’re looking for a real understanding of the world, you’re gonna have to do the work.
We’re All Addicted to the Drama
I was at a dinner party last night (okay, fine, it was at 11:30pm, but still). There were about 15 of us, all journalists or media types. We were talking about the state of the industry, and someone brought up the whole “fake news” thing. I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh, here we go again.”
But then this one guy, let’s call him Greg, said something that stuck with me. “Look,” he said, “we’re all addicted to the drama. We love it. We can’t get enough of it. And we’re not gonna change until we admit that.”
And he’s right. We’re all addicted. And it’s gonna take a lot more than just admitting it to fix it.
What Can We Do About It?
So, what can we do? Well, for starters, we can stop clicking on the garbage. We can stop sharing the outrage bait. We can start demanding better from our news sources. And we can start holding ourselves accountable for what we consume.
It’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna take a lot of work. But it’s the only way we’re gonna fix this mess.
And honestly, I’m not sure we’re up for it. But we gotta try.
About the Author: Linda Chen is a senior editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism. She’s worked for major publications in Taiwan and the US, and she’s seen the industry evolve (or devolve, depending on who you ask) firsthand. She’s opinionated, she’s blunt, and she’s not afraid to call out the nonsense when she sees it. You can find her ranting about the news cycle on Twitter or complaining about the state of journalism at her favorite Starbucks in Taipei.
