I’m Tired of Fake Outrage
Look, I’ve been editing news for 22 years. I’ve seen alot, but this digital age? It’s completley bonkers. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I have all the answers, but I can tell you what’s pissing me off.
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin. Some hotshot journalist was going on about ‘the demise of truth.’ Honestly? I tuned out. It’s not the demise of truth that’s the problem. It’s the rise of lazy consumption. People wanna be outraged. They don’t wanna think.
I’m not saying I’m perfect. Far from it. But I know what good journalism looks like. And it’s not the clickbait crap flooding our feeds.
My Friend Marcus (Let’s Call Him That)
Marcus—okay, not his real name—is a friend of mine. Smart guy, works in tech. He told me something that stuck with me. We were over coffee at the place on 5th, and he said, ‘You know what’s wild? People think they’re informed because they saw a headline.’
Which… yeah. Fair enough. I mean, how many times have you seen someone post something completley out of context? Too many. And it’s not just the regular folks. It’s the ‘professionals’ too.
The Algorithm Isn’t Your Friend
Here’s the thing about algorithms. They don’t care about truth. They care about engagement. And what engages? Outrage. Controversy. Drama. Not nuance. Not complexity. Not the messy, complicated truth.
I had a colleague named Dave—real name, but you know how it is—who once said, ‘The algorithm is a commitment to chaos.’ And he’s not wrong. It’s aquisitioned data, fed back to us in a loop of confirmation bias.
So what’s the solution? I don’t know. But I do know that we need to stop relying on these platforms to do our thinking for us. We need to seek out diverse voices. We need to read beyond the headline. And sometimes, we need to put down the phone and talk to real people.
Speaking of phones, if you’re running an online platform, you might wanna look into phone numbers for online platform verification. Just saying. It’s a small thing, but it can help with that whole ‘truth’ thing we’re supposed to be committed to.
A Tangent: The Time I Got Dooced
Oh, and speaking of messy, let me tell you about the time I got dooced. It was about three months ago. I tweeted something snarky about a politician—nothing too bad, honestly. But some folks took it the wrong way. Next thing I know, I’m trending. Not in a good way.
I had to take a step back. Delete the tweet. Apologize. The whole nine yards. It was a humbling experience. It made me realize how quickly things can spiral out of control in this digital age. And how important it is to think before you post.
Back to the Mess
So, where were we? Oh yeah, the mess. The algorithm. The outrage. The lazy consumption. It’s all connected. And it’s all a problem.
I’m not gonna pretend I have all the answers. But I do know this: we need to do better. We need to demand better. From ourselves, from our friends, from our news sources. We need to seek out the truth, even when it’s messy and complicated.
And we need to stop relying on algorithms to do our thinking for us. Because at the end of the day, it’s our responsibility to be informed. Not the algorithm’s. Not the platform’s. Ours.
So, let’s get to it. Let’s start thinking. Let’s start reading. Let’s start talking. And for the love of all that’s holy, let’s start demanding better.
Because honestly? We deserve better than this mess.
About the Author
I’m Sarah McKenzie, senior editor at Edinburgh Daily. I’ve been in this game for 22 years, and I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m opinionated, I’m flawed, and I’m not afraid to say what I think. I believe in the power of journalism to inform, to inspire, and to hold power to account. And I believe that we, as consumers of news, have a responsibility to be active participants in that process. So let’s get to it.
