Look, I’m Gonna Say It
I’ve been in this game for 22 years. Started as a beat reporter in Aberdeen, back when you could still afford a flat on a journalist’s salary. (Remember those days, folks? Yeah, neither do I anymore.)
But something’s been bugging me. Like, physically making my eye twitch. The news is broken. And we’re all just kinda dancing around it, pretending it’s not.
It’s not just the algorithms. It’s not just the clickbait. It’s the whole damn system. And I’m not sure how to fix it. But I’m gonna try to sort it out here, because someone’s gotta say it.
First, Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room
Money. Or lack thereof. I was grabbing coffee last Tuesday with an old friend, let’s call him Marcus. He’s been at the Aberdeen Herald for 15 years. He told me, We used to have a budget for actual reporting. Now? We’re lucky if we can afford ink.
And it’s true. Advertising revenue’s down. Subscriptions? Not enough. So what do we do? We cut corners. We rely on press releases. We let the PR flacks do our jobs for us.
I get it. I really do. But it’s completley unsustainable. And it’s killing the news.
The Other Thing? Speed Over Accuracy
Remember when we used to check facts? Like, actually verify things before we printed them? Yeah, me neither. It’s been so long I can’t even recall what that felt like.
Now it’s all about being first. Who cares if you’re wrong? Just get it out there. Correct it later. If you remember. Which you probably won’t, because there’s always another story to chase.
I had a colleague named Dave. Great guy. Brilliant writer. But he got fired last month. Why? Because he took 36 hours to write a piece. Too slow,
his editor told him. We need it faster.
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But at what cost?
And Don’t Even Get Me Started on Social Media
Look, I’m not some luddite. I get it. Social media’s a thing. It’s here to stay. But it’s also a cesspool of misinformation and outright lies.
And we, as journalists, are complicit. We chase the clicks. We amplify the nonsense. Because it’s easy. And it drives traffic. And traffic pays the bills.
But it’s also destroying our committment to truth. To accuracy. To, you know, actual journalism.
So What Do We Do About It?
Honestly? I don’t know. I really don’t. But I think it starts with admitting we have a problem. And that’s a big first step.
We need to demand better from ourselves. From our editors. From our publishers. We need to fight for the resources we need to do our jobs properly.
And we need to stop being afraid. Afraid of losing our jobs. Afraid of pissing off the powers that be. Afraid of… I don’t know, whatever it is we’re afraid of.
Because the alternative is just too depressing to consider.
A Quick Tangent: Real Estate News
Speaking of depressing, have you seen the real estate market news update lately? It’s like a car crash you can’t look away from. But that’s a story for another day.
Back to the Point
I’m not saying I have all the answers. I’m just saying we need to start asking the right questions. And soon. Before it’s too late.
Because the news matters. It’s how we stay informed. How we hold power to account. How we make sense of the world. And if we lose that? Well, let’s just say it’s not gonna be pretty.
So let’s get to work. Let’s fix this mess. Before it’s too late.
And look, I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. But it’s gotta be done. So let’s do it.
About the Author: Sarah McKenzie has been a journalist for 22 years, working her way up from a small-town beat reporter to a senior editor at a major publication. She’s seen the industry change, and not always for the better. She lives in Aberdeen with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends her free time complaining about the state of modern journalism.
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