The 24-Hour News Cycle is a Lie
Look, I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I started at a tiny paper in Ohio back in ’98. The news cycle used to be simple. You had your morning edition, maybe an evening broadcast. That was it. Now? It’s a never-ending monster that’s completley out of control.
I remember when CNN first started doing 24-hour news. I thought, ‘That’s kinda cool, they’ll fill it with analysis and deep dives.’ Ha! Now it’s just a bunch of talking heads yelling over each other about the same three stories all day. And don’t even get me started on the ‘BREAKING NEWS’ alerts for stuff that happened three hours ago.
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin. A colleague named Dave leaned over during a panel and said, ‘You know, I think the news is worse than it’s ever been.’ I nodded. ‘Yeah, but it’s not the news that’s worse. It’s the cycle. It’s us.’
We’re All Addicted to the Chaos
I mean, let’s be honest here. We’re all addicted to the chaos. I catch myself refreshing Twitter at 11:30pm, hoping for some new scandal to break. It’s like a bad relationship. You know it’s toxic, but you can’t look away.
And the algorithms don’t help. They’re designed to keep us hooked, to feed us the most sensational stuff. It’s why that stupid video of a guy yells at a seagull gets more play than actual news. We’re all just rats pressing the lever, hoping for another dopamine hit.
I talked to a friend of mine, let’s call him Marcus, about this. He’s a psychologist. I said, ‘Marcus, what’s the deal? Why can’t we stop?’ He said, ‘It’s the same as any addiction. The thrill of the new, the fear of missing out. It’s just… yeah. It’s bad.’
But Here’s the Thing…
But here’s the thing. We can fix this. Not completely, but we can make it better. It starts with us, the consumers. We gotta stop rewarding the crazy. We gotta seek out quality journalism. And yeah, sometimes that means paying for it.
And look, I get it. Not everyone can afford a subscription to every publication. But there are ways around it. Libraries, for one. And sharing accounts with friends and family. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
And for the love of god, stop getting your news from social media. It’s not reliable. It’s not complete. It’s just a mess. If you want real news, go to real news sites. It’s that simple.
Oh, and if you’re looking for ways to communicate better with your partner about all this, check out these relationship advice communication tips. Honestly, it’s not directly related, but hey, why not?
So yeah, the news cycle is broken. But it’s not hopeless. We can fix it. It’s gonna take work, though. And a lot of us are gonna have to change our habits. But I think we can do it.
I mean, I hope we can do it. Because if we don’t, what’s the alternative? More of the same? No thanks.
Anyway, that’s my take. Agree? Disagree? Let me know. I’m always up for a good debate. Just maybe not on Twitter.
About the Author: Sarah Mitchell has been a senior editor for over 20 years. She’s worked at major publications, covered everything from politics to celebrity gossip, and has a strong opinion on pretty much everything. She lives in New York with her cat, who couldn’t care less about the news cycle.
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