Look, We’ve Got a Problem
I’ve been editing news for 22 years. 22 years! And let me tell you, the state of things right now is… well, it’s a mess. I’m not just talking about the news itself, though honestly, that’s a whole other can of worms. I’m talking about how we consume it, how we trust it, how we share it. It’s all gone to pot, frankly.
I remember back in ’99, when I was just starting out at the Liverpool Echo. A colleague named Dave—let’s call him Dave—told me, “Liz, the internet’s gonna change everything.” I laughed. I mean, who didn’t? But he was right. And now, here we are, drowning in a sea of algorithms and echo chambers.
And don’t even get me started on social media. Last Tuesday, I was having coffee with an old friend, Marcus—let’s call him Marcus—who still thinks Facebook is a reliable news source. I nearly choked on my latte. “Marcus,” I said, “you can’t be serious.” But he was. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? People like Marcus, who genuinely believe that the stuff popping up in their timeline is the whole truth and nothing but.
But Here’s the Thing…
It’s not all doom and gloom. I mean, look, we’ve got more information at our fingertips than ever before. But the thing is, we’ve also got more misinformation. And it’s not just the obvious stuff—fake news, conspiracy theories, all that jazz. It’s the subtle stuff. The stuff that’s just… kinda true. The stuff that plays to our biases and confirms what we already believe.
Take, for example, the whole whatsapp verification code receiver online debacle. You know, those services that let you verify your accounts without using your own number? I mean, it’s convenient, right? But it’s also a goldmine for scammers. And yet, people still use them. Why? Because it’s easy. Because it’s convenient. Because, frankly, we’re lazy.
And that’s where the real problem lies. We’ve become a society that prioritizes convenience over caution. We’d rather believe the first thing we read than do the legwork to verify it. And that, my friends, is a recipe for disaster.
Anecdote Time
About three months ago, I was at a conference in Austin. A journalist named Sarah—let’s call her Sarah—stood up and said, “The news industry is dying because people don’t trust us anymore.” I raised my hand and said, “Or maybe it’s because we’re not giving them a reason to trust us.” She looked at me like I’d just spoken in tongues. But I stand by that. We’ve got to do better. We’ve got to be better.
And it’s not just about the big stuff, either. It’s about the little things. It’s about admitting when we’re wrong. It’s about correcting our mistakes. It’s about being transparent. It’s about showing our work, so to speak. Because if we don’t, why should anyone believe us?
I mean, look at the whole committment to objectivity. It’s a joke. We’re all biased. We can’t help it. But we can acknowledge it. We can say, “Look, this is my perspective, and here’s why I hold it.” And that, I think, is a step in the right direction.
But What Can We Do?
I’m not sure. Honestly, I’m not. I mean, I’ve got my theories. I think we need to do a better job of teaching media literacy. I think we need to hold platforms accountable for the content they amplify. I think we need to support quality journalism, even if it means paying for it. But I’m just one voice in the wilderness, you know?
And look, I’m not saying I’ve got all the answers. I’m just saying that we’ve got to start somewhere. We’ve got to start having these conversations. We’ve got to start demanding better. Because if we don’t, who will?
So, yeah. That’s where we are. It’s messy. It’s complicated. It’s frustrating as hell. But it’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to do better. To be better. To, I don’t know, maybe save journalism from itself.
Which, honestly, is a tall order. But someone’s gotta do it.
About the Author: Liz Thompson has been a senior editor for over two decades, working with major publications across the UK. She’s seen the industry evolve—sometimes for the better, often not—and isn’t afraid to call out the problems she sees. When she’s not editing, you can find her arguing about politics, drinking too much coffee, and trying to explain to her cat why it can’t have more treats.
