Let’s Talk About How Terrible News Coverage Has Become
Look, I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I started back in 1998 at a tiny newspaper in Portland, Oregon. We didn’t have alot of resources, but we had something more valuable: time. Time to report, to dig, to actually understand what was happening before we printed a word. Now? Now it’s all about speed. Speed and clicks. And honestly, it’s completley ruined journalism.
I remember when I first moved to Bangkok in 2005. I was working for a major publication, and we had a strict rule: no publishing until we had at least three independent sources confirming a story. Now? It’s publish first, ask questions later. Or, more accurately, never.
Last Tuesday, I was having coffee with an old colleague, let’s call him Marcus. We were at this little place on Sukhumvit, you know the one with the terrible WiFi but amazing banana pancakes. He told me about a story he’d worked on—some politician caught in a scandal. The headline was out before noon, and by the time the politician had a chance to respond, the narrative had already been set. It was a circus.
“They don’t care about the truth anymore,” Marcus said, stirring his coffee. “They just want the drama.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But it’s not just the outlets. It’s us. We, the consumers, have trained them to behave this way. We click on the outrage, we share the scandal, we devour the drama. And then we complain when the news is all drama and no substance.
But Here’s the Thing About Breaking News
Breaking news is like a car crash. You can’t look away. And the outlets know this. They know that if they can get the story out first, they’ll get the clicks. And clicks mean money. So they prioritize speed over accuracy. And we let them. We reward them for it.
I get it. I do. I’ve been there. There have been nights—many nights—when I’ve stayed up until 2 a.m. trying to meet a deadline. I’ve seen editors demand stories be published before they’re ready. I’ve seen writers cut corners because they didn’t have time to do it right. I’ve seen it all. And I’ve done it too. (Don’t tell my current boss.)
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be this way. We can demand better. We can choose to consume news differently. We can support outlets that take their time, that prioritize accuracy over speed. It’s not easy, and it’s not quick. But it’s possible.
Take, for example, the coverage of the recent protests in Bangkok. Some outlets were all over it, publishing every little detail as it happened. But others took a step back. They waited. They reported. They gave us context. And guess what? Their coverage was better. It was more informative. It was more useful.
But let’s be real here. Most of us don’t have the time or the energy to seek out the good journalism. We want it fast, we want it easy, and we want it now. And the outlets know this. So they give us what we want. Even if it’s not what we need.
And look, I’m not saying we should all become news hermits. We should stay informed. We should care about what’s happening in the world. But we should also be critical consumers. We should ask questions. We should demand better.
So What’s the Solution?
I wish I had a simple answer. I don’t. But I do know this: we need to stop rewarding bad behavior. We need to stop clicking on the outrage. We need to stop sharing the scandal. We need to start supporting the outlets that do it right. Even if it’s slower. Even if it’s harder. Even if it’s more expensive.
And honestly, I’m not sure how we get there. Maybe it’s about education. Maybe it’s about regulation. Maybe it’s about a complete overhaul of the news industry. I don’t know. But I do know this: if we don’t do something, things are only gonna get worse.
So let’s start a conversation. Let’s talk about how we can demand better. Let’s talk about how we can support good journalism. Let’s talk about how we can fix this mess we’ve created.
And while we’re at it, let’s talk about something else that’s broken: the way we consume news on social media. But that’s a story for another day.
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About the Author: Jane Thompson has been a senior editor for over 20 years, working for major publications in the US and Asia. She’s seen the industry evolve—and devolve—and isn’t afraid to call out the problems she sees. When she’s not editing, she’s probably complaining about the state of journalism over a strong cup of coffee.
