I’ve Had It Up to Here with Breaking News
Look, I’ve been in this game for 22 years. I started back in ’99 at a tiny paper in Boise, and let me tell you, the news cycle was a lot slower then. We didn’t have this… this madness. This constant, unending stream of ‘breaking news’ alerts that frankly, nobody needs.
I remember when I first moved to New York. It was 2003, and I was working at the Daily Chronicle. My editor, let’s call him Marcus, he used to say, ‘Sarah, if it’s not on the front page of the Times, it’s not news.’ Simple, right? But now? Now it’s all just noise.
We’re All Addicted to the Chaos
And honestly, I’m as guilty as anyone. I wake up in the morning, and the first thing I do is grab my phone. I check the news apps, I scroll through Twitter, I see what’s trending. And I’m like, ‘Oh my god, what happened now?’ It’s exhausting. It’s completley unsustainable.
I was having coffee with a friend last Tuesday—let’s call him Dave—and he said, ‘Sarah, you’re a journalist. You’re supposed to be objective.’ And I said, ‘Dave, I’m not a robot. I can’t be objective about this. It’s killing us. It’s killing our attention spans, our mental health, our ability to think critically.’
Dave just looked at me and said, ‘But it’s the world we live in now.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be.’
The 24-Hour News Cycle is a Lie
Here’s the thing: there are only so many actual news stories in a day. The rest is just filler. It’s speculation, it’s opinion, it’s people talking about what might happen, what could happen, what should happen. And it’s not news. It’s just… noise.
I remember back in 2008, during the financial crisis. That was a real news story. That was something that affected everyone, something that needed constant coverage. But even then, it wasn’t every single minute of every single day. There were breaks. There was time to process, to think, to react.
Now? It’s like we’re in a constant state of crisis. And it’s not healthy. It’s not helpful. It’s not journalism.
Social Media is Making It Worse
And don’t even get me started on social media. It’s like everyone’s a journalist now. Everyone’s got an opinion, everyone’s got a hot take, everyone’s got a breaking news alert. And it’s all just… it’s all just garbage.
I was at a conference in Austin a few months ago, and there was this panel about the future of journalism. And one of the speakers said, ‘The problem isn’t that social media is making everyone a journalist. The problem is that it’s making no one a journalist.’ And I thought, ‘Yeah. That’s it. That’s exactly it.’
Because when everyone’s a journalist, then no one is. And when no one is, then we’re all just shouting into the void, hoping someone hears us, hoping someone cares.
We Need to Slow Down
So what’s the solution? I’m not sure. But I think it starts with us. With me, with you, with everyone. We need to stop feeding the beast. We need to stop clicking on the sensationalist headlines. We need to stop sharing the outrage bait. We need to stop.
And look, I’m not saying we should ignore the news. I’m not saying we should bury our heads in the sand. But we need to be more discerning. We need to be more critical. We need to be more… patient.
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you read a news story and actually felt informed? Really informed? Not just… not just angry, or outraged, or whatever. But actually informed.
For me, it was probably last year. I was reading this housing market analysis update, and it was like, ‘Oh. Okay. This is actually helpful. This is actually news.’ The rest? It’s just noise.
A Tangent: The Weather is Also News?
And while we’re on the subject, why is the weather news? I mean, I get it. It’s important. But is it really news? Is it really something that needs to be covered 24/7? I don’t think so. I think it’s just another way to fill the airtime, to fill the page space, to keep us all hooked on the cycle.
I remember when I was in college, and there was this big storm coming. And the news channels were all over it. They were talking about it for hours, for days. And I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, it’s a big storm. But we’ve had big storms before. We’ll have big storms again. It’s not news.’
But now? Now it’s all news. Every little thing is news. And it’s not. It’s just… it’s just life.
Let’s Be Better
So here’s my challenge to you: let’s be better. Let’s be more discerning. Let’s be more critical. Let’s be more patient. Let’s not feed the beast. Let’s not click on the sensationalist headlines. Let’s not share the outrage bait. Let’s just… let’s just stop.
And look, I know it’s not easy. I know it’s hard. But it’s important. It’s important for us, for our mental health, for our ability to think critically. It’s important for journalism. It’s important for the truth.
So let’s do it. Let’s be better. Let’s be smarter. Let’s be more than just another click, another share, another like. Let’s be human.
About the Author: Sarah Johnson has been a journalist for over 22 years, working at various publications from small town papers to major national magazines. She currently lives in New York with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends her free time yelling at the news on TV.
If you’re looking to understand the challenges facing today’s media, consider exploring this insightful piece on the current state of news reporting and its impact on public trust.
