Why I’ve Had It Up to Here with Breaking News
Look, I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I’ve seen it all, or so I thought. But lately? Lately, I’m starting to think the news cycle is more broken than a kid’s piggy bank after Christmas.
It was about three months ago, at some god-awful hour of the morning, when my phone started buzzing like a hive of angry bees. Another ‘breaking news’ alert. I groaned, rolled over, and checked it. Big mistake. It was just another ‘exclusive’ that every other outlet would have in the next 12 minutes. I mean, come on.
I’m not saying I’m perfect. Far from it. I’ve been guilty of chasing clicks, of sensationalizing stories, of falling into the same traps I now complain about. But that’s the thing—we’re all complicit. Us, the media, and you, the audience.
Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Algorithm
Let me tell you about Marcus. Let’s call him Marcus because, well, his real name isn’t important. Marcus is a friend of a friend, works at one of those big digital news places. Over coffee at that place on 5th, he told me something that stuck with me.
“We’re all just feeding the beast,” he said, stirring his latte like he was trying to mix the meaning of life into it. “The algorithm demands content, so we give it content. And the more outrageous, the better.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But it’s a slippery slope, isn’t it? One minute you’re reporting the news, the next you’re part of the problem.
I remember back in ’98, during the Lewinsky scandal. The news was a circus, but at least it felt like there were some boundaries. Now? It’s like the boundaries got packed up and shipped off to some dark corner of the internet, never to be seen again.
But Wait, There’s More!
And don’t even get me started on the 24-hour news cycle. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. You know it’s bad, but you can’t look away. I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this panel of ‘experts’ were talking about it. One of them, a woman named Dave—no, seriously, her name was Dave—said something that made me wanna throw my notepad at her.
“It’s all about committment to the story,” she said. I think. Honestly, I tuned out after that. Commitment? Lady, it’s about ratings. It’s about keeping people glued to their screens so they can be bombarded with ads for erectile dysfunction medication and cryptocurrency.
But here’s the kicker. We’re all guilty of it. I’m guilty of it. You’re guilty of it. We click, we share, we fuel the fire. And the algorithm? It’s just doing its job. Giving us more of what we want, even if what we want is bad for us.
I’m not saying we should all become monks and swear off the news. But maybe, just maybe, we should take a step back. Breathe. Think. And for the love of all that’s holy, stop sharing every damn thing that pops up on your feed.
Las Vegas, Baby!
Speaking of things that pop up on your feed, have you ever noticed how every other story is about some celebrity sighting in Vegas? It’s like the city is a magnet for drama. And honestly, I’m not complaining. I mean, where else are you gonna get stories about Elvis impersonators and high-stakes poker games?
But seriously, if you’re looking for a break from the doom and gloom, check out the Las Vegas events calendar weekend. Trust me, it’s a nice change of pace.
A Tangent: Why I Hate the Word ‘Impactful’
Okay, this is gonna sound random, but I hate the word ‘impactful’. It’s just… ugh. It’s not even a real word. Or it is now, I guess, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. It’s like when people say ‘literally’ when they mean ‘figuratively’. It’s physically painful for me. (See what I did there?)
Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. The news.
Look, I’m not saying I have all the answers. I don’t. But I do know this: we need to demand better. From the media, from ourselves, from the algorithms that seem to run our lives. We need to think critically, to question, to seek out the truth. And we need to stop sharing every damn thing that pops up on our feeds.
It’s gonna be a hard road. But hey, somebody’s gotta walk it. Might as well be us.
About the Author
Sarah Thompson has been a senior editor at various major publications for over 20 years. She’s seen the media landscape change dramatically and isn’t afraid to call out the industry when it’s full of crap. When she’s not editing, she’s probably complaining about the word ‘impactful’ or planning her next trip to Vegas.
