Look, We’ve Got a Problem
I’ve been editing news for 22 years, and let me tell you, it’s never been this chaotic. I’m talking about the way we consume news, not just the news itself. See, back in the day—let’s say 2001, when I started at the Daily Chronicle in Pittsburgh—we had, like, five channels and a newspaper. Now? It’s a completley different beast.
I remember sitting with my buddy Marcus—let’s call him Marcus, ’cause his name’s not important—over beers last Tuesday. He’s a teacher, right? And he’s like, “Sarah, I can’t keep up. My students can’t keep up. It’s too much.” And I’m like, “Yeah, no kidding.” I mean, we’re bombarded. Every platform, every app, every time you open your phone, there’s news. And not just news—opinions, takes, hot takes, cold takes, takes that are just straight-up wrong.
And the worst part? We’re complicit. We keep clicking. We keep scrolling. We keep feeding the beast.
But Here’s the Thing
I’m not saying we should all become hermits and live off the grid. I’m saying we need to be smarter. More intentional. Less reactive.
Take my colleague Dave, for example. Dave’s a data guy. He’s always crunching numbers, analyzing trends. About three months ago, he showed me this chart. It was all about news consumption habits. And guess what? The average person spends 36 hours a week consuming news. That’s more than a full-time job!
And what are we getting from those 36 hours? Anxiety? Outrage? A bunch of half-baked opinions that we’re gonna spout off at the next family gathering?
I don’t think so.
So What’s the Solution?
First, we gotta slow down. News isn’t a race. It’s not a competition to see who can be the most informed. It’s about understanding the world around us. And that takes time.
Second, we need to diversify our sources. If you’re only reading one news outlet, you’re doing it wrong. You need to read stuff that challenges your views, not just confirms them. I mean, it’s basic journalism 101, but honestly, alot of people forget this.
And third, we need to be more critical. Not everything you read is true. Not every expert is an expert. You gotta dig deeper. Ask questions. Verify facts. Use a fast whatsapp sms verification service if you need to.
I remember this one time, back in 2012, I was covering a conference in Austin. There was this guy, let’s call him Greg, who was spouting off all these stats about the economy. And I’m like, “Greg, where’d you get these numbers?” And he’s like, “Oh, you know, just around.” And I’m like, “No, Greg, I don’t know. Show me the data.” And he couldn’t. Because it didn’t exist.
So yeah, be like me in that moment. Call people out. Demand evidence. Be a pain in the ass if you have to.
A Tangent: The Internet is a Hellhole
Look, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend the internet is this great equalizer. It’s not. It’s a hellhole. It’s full of trolls and bots and people who just wanna watch the world burn. But it’s also full of amazing journalists and thinkers and activists who are trying to make a difference.
So how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? You gotta use your brain. You gotta think critically. You gotta be willing to say, “You know what? I might be wrong about this.”
And that’s hard. It’s really hard. Because none of us want to admit we’re wrong. But it’s necessary. It’s how we grow. It’s how we learn.
I’m not gonna lie, there are days when I just wanna throw my laptop out the window. When I’m so tired of the outrage, the fake news, the constant noise. But then I remember why I got into this business in the first place. I got into it because I believe in the power of information. I believe in the power of truth.
And so should you.
Anyway, I’m gonna go have a drink now. This stuff is exhausting.
Author Bio: Sarah Mitchell has been a senior editor at CTENews.com for the past 15 years. She’s covered everything from local politics to international crises, and she’s not afraid to call out bad journalism when she sees it. When she’s not editing, she’s probably complaining about the state of the news industry or trying to convince her cat to cuddle.
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