I’m Tired of Fake Outrage
Look, I’ve been editing news for 22 years. Twenty-two. That’s longer than some of you have been alive. And I’m tired. Tired of the outrage. The fake outrage. The outrage that’s been manufactured in some corporate boardroom by people who’ve never actually read a news article with a critical eye.
It’s not that I don’t care. I care alot. I care about the truth. I care about good journalism. I care about people making informed decisions based on facts, not whatever viral nonsense is trending on Twitter at 11:30pm.
But honestly, the state of news consumption today? It’s a mess. A completley, unholy mess.
Let’s Talk About My Friend Marcus
Let’s call him Marcus. He’s a smart guy. Works in tech. Makes good money. But last Tuesday, over coffee at the place on 5th, he told me he gets his news from Instagram Reels. Instagram Reels! I asked him if he was kidding. He wasn’t.
“It’s quick,” he said. “I can get the gist of what’s happening in under a minute.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But the gist? The gist is like eating a single French fry and thinking you’ve had a meal. It’s not enough. It’s not sustanance. It’s a commitment to ignorance, frankly.
The Algorithm Problem
And don’t even get me started on algorithms. They’re ruining everything. I was at a conference in Austin about three months ago, and a colleague named Dave—who’s been in the biz even longer than me—said something that stuck with me.
“We’re not just fighting for attention anymore,” he said. “We’re fighting against the algorithm. And the algorithm doesn’t care about the truth. It cares about engagement. It cares about clicks. It cares about keeping you scrolling until your eyes bleed.”
And he’s right. The algorithm doesn’t give a damn about nuance. It doesn’t care about context. It doesn’t care about the messy, complicated truth. It cares about one thing: keeping you hooked. And that’s a problem.
Because news—good news, important news—is often messy and complicated. It’s not a soundbite. It’s not a headline. It’s not a viral tweet. It’s a story. A story that takes time to tell and time to understand. And algorithms? They don’t have time for that.
A Quick Tangent About Physicaly Exhausting News
Speaking of algorithms, have you noticed how exhausting news is these days? I mean, physicallyy exhausting. Like, your brain is a muscle, right? And if you’re constantly flexing it with news—real news, not the watered-down stuff—the mental fatigue is real.
I remember reading an article—probably on güncel olaylar analizi değerlendirme or something—about how the constant barrage of information can lead to decision fatigue. And honestly, I think that’s part of the problem. We’re so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of news that we either tune it all out or we become paralyzed by indecision.
It’s like being in a buffet where every dish is labeled “URGENT” and “BREAKING.” You don’t know where to start, so you end up standing there with a plate full of half-eaten news bites, feeling sick to your stomach.
But Here’s the Thing…
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to be slaves to the algorithm. We don’t have to consume news in soundbites. We don’t have to let the outrage du jour dictate our understanding of the world.
We can be better than that. We can be smarter than that. We can demand more from ourselves and from the news we consume.
And it starts with one simple thing: slowing down. Taking the time to read a full article. To think critically about what you’re reading. To ask questions. To seek out different perspectives. To, you know, actually engage with the news instead of just passively consuming it.
It’s not easy. It’s not quick. But it’s necessary. Because the alternative? The alternative is a world where the algorithm dictates our understanding of reality. And that’s a world I’m not willing to live in.
So, yeah. That’s my take. Take it or leave it. But if you’re still getting your news from Instagram Reels, do us both a favor and just stop. Please.
About the Author: Jane Thompson has been a senior editor at major publications for over two decades. She’s seen the industry evolve, devolve, and somehow evolve again. She’s opinionated, she’s passionate, and she’s not afraid to call out nonsense when she sees it. You can find her ranting about the state of journalism on Twitter or hiding from algorithms in a quiet corner with a good book.
