Look, I’m Gonna Say It
News is a mess. And I should know—I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I’m Claire Henderson, senior editor at Dundee News, and I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, the ugly. But lately? It’s mostly ugly.
It started with a conversation last Tuesday. I was at the pub with Marcus—let’s call him that, he’d hate the publicity—and he said, “Claire, you’re a journalist, right? So why can’t I trust any of you lot?”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
Back in My Day
Let me take you back. 1998, a tiny newsroom in Glasgow. Green screens, dial-up internet, and a news ticker that never stopped screaming. We had deadlines, sure, but we also had time. Time to check facts, time to talk to actual people, time to write something that made sense.
Now? It’s a circus. A 24-hour news cycle that’s more like a 24-second news cycle. Everyone’s chasing clicks, chasing views, chasing the almighty algorithm. And the news? It’s suffering for it.
I mean, honestly, when did we decide that speed was more important than accuracy? When did we start valuing sensationalism over substance? I’ll tell you when—when we stopped caring about the news and started caring about the business of news.
And don’t even get me started on social media. It’s a cesspool. A hot, steaming, toxic cesspool of misinformation and outrage. I had coffee with a colleague named Dave last week, and he said, “Claire, we’re not journalists anymore. We’re content providers.” And he’s right. We’re not reporting the news; we’re curating it. And that’s a problem.
But It’s Not All Bad
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are still good journalists out there. People who care, who dig, who ask the tough questions. I see them every day. But they’re drowning in a sea of clickbait and fake news, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep their heads above water.
And look, I get it. The industry is changing. It’s evolving. But evolution shouldn’t mean devolution. We shouldn’t be sacrificing quality for quantity. We shouldn’t be sacrificing truth for traffic.
I remember when I first started out, my editor—a wonderful, terrifying woman named Margaret—told me, “Claire, your job is to tell the truth. Even if it’s uncomfortable. Even if it’s unpopular. Even if it costs you a story.” And she was right. That’s our job. That’s what we do.
But these days, it feels like our job is to tell the story that’s gonna get the most clicks. The story that’s gonna make the most noise. And that’s not journalism. That’s infotainment.
A Quick Digression: Cars and Costs
Speaking of costs, have you ever tried to figure out how much it’s gonna cost to fix your car? It’s a nightmare. I was talking to a friend the other day—let’s call him Ian—and he was complaining about how hard it is to get a straight answer. So I told him about this araç tamir maliyeti tahmin rehber. It’s a lifesaver, honestly. But anyway, back to the point.
Oh, right. The point. That we’re all to blame. Because we’re the ones clicking. We’re the ones sharing. We’re the ones demanding more, faster, now. And the news? It’s just trying to keep up.
So What Do We Do?
I don’t have all the answers. But I know this—we need to slow down. We need to think. We need to care more about the truth than the traffic.
And we need to support the journalists who are still fighting the good fight. The ones who are still telling the truth, even when it’s hard. Even when it’s unpopular. Even when it costs them.
Because the news isn’t broken. It’s just bent. And it can be fixed. But it’s gonna take all of us.
So let’s get to work.
Author Bio: Claire Henderson has been a senior editor at Dundee News for over 20 years. She’s a Glasgow native, a proud mom of two, and a staunch advocate for quality journalism. She loves strong coffee, stronger opinions, and a good night’s sleep (which is why she’s usually in bed by 10pm). You can find her on Twitter @ClaireHenderson, where she tweets about news, life, and the occasional cat video.
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