Let’s talk about the elephant in the room
I’ve been in this game for 22 years. That’s 22 years of deadlines, of chasing stories, of watching the world change right in front of me. And I’m telling you, the news is broken. Completely, utterly, broken.
I remember back in ’99, when I first started at the Perth Herald. We had a guy named Marcus—let’s call him Marcus, ’cause his real name doesn’t matter anymore—who used to say, ‘News is like a good steak, Sarah. It’s gotta be fresh, it’s gotta be raw, and it’s gotta hit you right in the gut.’
Marcus was a bit of a cliché, honestly. But he was right. About the news, at least.
But now? Now it’s all algorithms and clickbait and ‘breaking news’ that’s about as breaking as a stale biscuit. I mean, look at the state of things. We’ve got 24-hour news cycles that need to be fed content like a bunch of ravenous, insatiable… well, algorithms.
And don’t even get me started on the aquisition of news outlets by tech giants. It’s like watching your favorite pub being bought by a chain and then turning into a bland, identikit ‘gastropub’.
But here’s the thing…
It’s not all bad. There are still good journalists out there, doing good work. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. But it’s getting harder and harder to find the signal in the noise.
I was talking to a colleague named Dave the other day—over coffee at the place on 5th, if you’re familiar with Perth. Dave’s been in the industry about as long as I have. He’s seen the same things I’ve seen. He’s frustrated too.
‘It’s like we’re all just shouting into the void,’ he said. ‘And the void is shouting back, but it’s not saying anything meaningful.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But here’s the thing that really gets me. The news used to be about informing the public. Now it’s about engaging them. And not in a good way. It’s about outrage. It’s about controversy. It’s about anything that will get people to click and share and comment.
And it’s not just the big outlets. It’s everyone. It’s the blogs, the vlogs, the podcasts. It’s the guy down the street with a Twitter account. It’s all just noise.
So what’s the solution?
I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I wish I did. But I don’t.
I think it starts with us, though. With the journalists. With the people who are supposed to be the gatekeepers. We need to stop chasing clicks and start chasing the truth. Even if it’s not the truth that people want to hear.
We need to stop being afraid of boring stories. Boring stories are important. They’re the ones that keep us informed. They’re the ones that keep us safe.
And we need to stop being afraid of pissing people off. Because if we’re not pissing anyone off, we’re probably not doing our jobs right.
I remember back in 2007, I wrote a piece about the local council’s committment to renewable energy. It was a dry, boring story. But it was important. And you know what? People read it. They shared it. They talked about it. And it made a difference.
But these days, that kind of story wouldn’t stand a chance. It’s all about the sensationalism. It’s all about the drama. It’s all about the ‘breaking news’ that’s not really breaking at all.
And look, I get it. I really do. The news is a business. And businesses need to make money. But there’s a fine line between making money and selling out. And I think we’ve crossed that line.
I was at a conference in Austin a few years back, and there was a panel on the future of journalism. One of the speakers said something that’s stuck with me ever since. He said, ‘The news is like a drug. It’s addictive. It’s intoxicating. And it’s completley corrupting.’
And I think he’s right. I think we’ve become addicted to the news. We’ve become addicted to the drama. We’ve become addicted to the outrage. And it’s eating us alive.
But here’s the thing. We don’t have to be. We can choose to be better. We can choose to be smarter. We can choose to be more informed.
And it starts with us. With the journalists. With the people who are supposed to be the gatekeepers. We need to start doing our jobs again. We need to start telling the truth, even when it’s hard. Even when it’s boring. Even when it pisses people off.
Because that’s what the news is supposed to be about. It’s supposed to be about informing the public. It’s supposed to be about keeping us safe. It’s supposed to be about telling the truth.
And if we can’t do that, then what’s the point?
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the noise. I’m tired of the outrage. I’m tired of the drama. I’m tired of the ‘breaking news’ that’s not really breaking at all.
I want the news to be about something again. I want it to be about the truth. I want it to be about informing the public. I want it to be about keeping us safe.
And I think we can do that. I think we can be better. I think we can be smarter. I think we can be more informed.
But it’s gonna take work. It’s gonna take commitment. It’s gonna take a willingness to be boring, to be unpopular, to be unprofitable.
And I’m not sure if we’re up for it. But I hope we are. Because the alternative is a world where the news is just noise. And that’s a world I don’t wanna live in.
So let’s do better. Let’s be better. Let’s be smarter. Let’s be more informed. Let’s be the news that we deserve.
And if we can’t do that, then maybe we should just shut up and let the algorithms take over. Because honestly, they’re probably doing a better job than we are anyway.
But I don’t wanna live in that world. Do you?
I didn’t think so.
So let’s get to work. Let’s be the news that we deserve. Let’s be the news that the world needs. Let’s be the news that tells the truth, even when it’s hard. Even when it’s boring. Even when it pisses people off.
Because that’s what the news is supposed to be about. And if we can’t do that, then what’s the point?
Oh, and one more thing…
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About the Author: Sarah Mitchell has been a journalist for over two decades, working for various publications in Perth and beyond. She’s seen the industry change dramatically and isn’t afraid to call out the problems she sees. When she’s not writing, she can be found drinking too much coffee and complaining about the state of the world.
