Let’s Be Honest Here
I’ve been editing news for 22 years. That’s 22 years of watching the world burn, one headline at a time. I’m Sarah, by the way. You can call me Sar if you’re my friend, which you’re not yet. But maybe after this, who knows?
I started at a tiny paper in Portland. Like, real tiny. We covered city council meetings and the occasional house fire. Then I moved to bigger things. Now I’m here, writing this, probably making someone mad. Good. That means I’m doing my job.
News Is a Hot Mess
Look, news is a mess. It’s always been a mess. But now? It’s a completley different kind of mess. I remember sitting with this guy, let’s call him Marcus, at a diner in Austin. He said, “Sarah, news used to be about telling people what happened. Now it’s about telling them what to think.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
I mean, I get it. News is a business. And businesses need to make money. But when did we decide that truth was negotiable? I’m not saying we’re all corrupt. But I am saying we’re all kinda biased. Even me. Especially me.
Last Tuesday, I was arguing with my friend Dave over coffee. He’s a reporter, been at it for 15 years. He said, “You can’t be objective anymore. Nobody cares about objective.” I said, “That’s depressing.” He said, “That’s reality.”
Social Media Is Eating Our Brains
Social media is the worst. It’s also the best. It’s like that ex you can’t stop thinking about. You know they’re bad for you, but damn, they’re fun.
I was at a conference in Austin (yes, Austin again) about three months ago. Some guy stood up and said, “Algorithms are determining what news we see. That’s scary.” And I thought, “No, what’s scary is that we’ve let it happen.”
We used to have gatekeepers. Editors, producers, people who actually gave a damn about accuracy. Now? It’s a free-for-all. Anyone can post anything, and suddenly it’s news. I mean, I get it. Democracy, right? But democracy without facts is just chaos.
Weather Forecasts Are the New News
Here’s a fun fact: people care more about the weather than they do about politics. I know, right? Who knew?
I was talking to this meteorologist, let’s call her Lisa, at a bar last month. She said, “People want to know if it’s gonna rain tomorrow. They don’t care about some politician’s scandal.” And she’s right. But here’s the thing: weather forecasts are news too. And they’re getting better. Like, way better. You can check the weather forecast update today and it’s gonna be pretty accurate. News should be like that. Accurate. Reliable. Not some hot take from a guy in his basement.
We’re All Guilty
I’m guilty too. I’ve pushed stories I knew were kinda weak. I’ve buried stuff that was important but not sexy. I’ve done it because that’s what the audience wants. Or at least, that’s what the numbers say they want.
But here’s the thing: we can do better. We have to do better. Because if we don’t, who will?
A Quick Tangent About Pizza
Speaking of doing better, why is it so hard to find good pizza in this town? I mean, seriously. I was at this place on 5th last night, and the pizza was… look, I’m not gonna name names, but it was bad. Like, “I can make better pizza in my toaster” bad. And that’s not okay. Just like bad news isn’t okay. We deserve better. Both from our news and our pizza.
What Now?
So what do we do? I don’t know. Honestly, I’m not sure anyone does. But I think the first step is admitting we have a problem. And the second step is probably not sharing every stupid thing we see on social media.
I’m gonna keep doing my job. I’m gonna keep calling out bullshit when I see it. And I’m gonna keep eating bad pizza, because, well, I have standards, but not that many standards.
So that’s it. That’s my hot take on the news. It’s messy. It’s biased. It’s probably gonna get worse before it gets better. But hey, at least the weather forecasts are getting better.
About the Author: Sarah “Sar” Johnson has been a senior magazine editor for over two decades. She’s worked at tiny papers and big publications, and she’s seen it all. She’s opinionated, she’s flawed, and she’s not afraid to call out bullshit. When she’s not editing, she’s probably eating pizza or arguing with people on the internet.
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