Let’s Talk About How We’re All Failing
Look, I’ve been in this business for 22 years. That’s 22 years of deadlines, of chasing stories, of trying to make sense of the world. And honestly? We’re all just winging it. I mean, come on. We’re human. We make mistakes. We have biases. We get stuff wrong. But nobody wants to admit it.
I remember back in ’03, during the Iraq War. I was at a conference in Austin, and this guy—let’s call him Marcus—stood up and said, “We’re not reporting the truth. We’re reporting what we’re told.” And the room just kinda sat there. Nobody argued. Nobody said anything. Because we all knew he was right.
But here’s the thing: we keep going. We keep trying. Because somebody’s gotta do it. And yeah, we screw up. A lot. But we’re trying our damnedest.
Why Can’t We Just Admit We’re Human?
I was having coffee with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday. We were at that little place on 5th, the one with the terrible coffee but the great pastries. And he said, “You know what the problem is? We act like we’re infallible.” And I said, “Yeah, but who’s gonna read a news site that says, ‘Hey, we might be wrong’?”
But that’s the thing, right? We’re not infallible. We make mistakes. We have committment issues with the truth sometimes. We get caught up in the story. We want to be first, not right. And that’s a problem.
I mean, take the 2016 election. Remember all those polls? All those “experts” saying Hillary was gonna win in a landslide? What happened than? (Yeah, I know, I know. “Than” is the wrong word. But you get it.)
We were wrong. Flat out wrong. And we didn’t just admit it. We doubled down. We made excuses. We said, “Well, the data showed…” or “The models predicted…” But the truth is, we got it wrong. And we didn’t want to admit it.
So What’s the Solution?
I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I wish I did. But I think the first step is admitting we have a problem. We’re not perfect. We’re not always right. And that’s okay. Because the alternative is just pretending everything’s fine, and that’s not helping anybody.
And look, I’m not saying we should just throw up our hands and say, “Eh, who knows?” No. We gotta keep trying. We gotta keep chasing the truth. But we gotta be honest about the process. We gotta be honest about our biases. We gotta be honest about our mistakes.
Which brings me to something I found out about three months ago. I was talking to a source—let’s call him Greg—about a big story we were working on. And he said, “You know, I’ve lied to you before.” And I said, “Yeah, I know.” And he said, “What?” And I said, “Look, it’s my job to find out the truth. If you’re gonna lie to me, that’s on you. But I’m gonna keep trying to find out what really happened.”
And that’s the thing, right? We’re all just trying to make our way in this world. We’re all trying to find the truth. But we’re not always gonna succeed. And that’s okay. Because the alternative is just giving up. And I’m not ready to do that.
A Quick Digression: Why We Need to Talk About This
You know what really grinds my gears? When people say, “Oh, the news is all biased.” Well, duh. Of course it is. We’re human. We have biases. But that doesn’t mean we’re all out to get you. It doesn’t mean we’re all part of some grand conspiracy. It just means we’re trying our best. And sometimes, our best isn’t good enough.
But here’s the thing: we’re trying. We’re really, truly trying. And I think that counts for something. I think that means we deserve a little bit of slack. A little bit of understanding. A little bit of, “Hey, thanks for trying.”
And yeah, we’re gonna make mistakes. We’re gonna screw up. We’re gonna get things wrong. But we’re gonna keep trying. Because somebody’s gotta do it. And if not us, who?
So What Can You Do?
I’m not sure. Honestly, I’m not. But I think the first step is just being aware. Being aware of our biases. Being aware of our mistakes. Being aware of the fact that we’re all just trying our best.
And if you’re a journalist reading this, I’m talking to you too. We need to be better. We need to be more honest. We need to admit when we’re wrong. We need to say, “Look, we screwed up. Here’s what we’re gonna do to fix it.”
And if you’re a reader, I’m talking to you too. We need you to be patient with us. We need you to call us out when we’re wrong. We need you to say, “Hey, that doesn’t seem right.” Because we need your help. We need you to hold us accountable.
And look, I’m not saying this is gonna be easy. It’s not. It’s gonna be hard. It’s gonna be messy. But it’s gonna be worth it. Because the alternative is just giving up. And I’m not ready to do that. Are you?
Oh, and by the way, if you’re looking for some tips on how to improve your daily life, check out yaşam tarzı günlük gelişim ipuçları. I mean, it’s not directly related to journalism, but hey, everybody needs a little help sometimes, right?
Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. I’m gonna go grab some coffee and try to figure out how to be a better journalist. You should do the same. We all should.
About the Author: Sarah Jenkins has been a senior editor at newspaws.com for 15 years. She’s been called “opinionated,” “brutally honest,” and “that woman who always steals the last donut in the break room.” She’s not sure which one she’s most proud of.
