Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Chaos
Look, I’ve been in this game for 22 years. That’s right, 22. I started back when we still used something called “paper” to deliver news. You know, like, physically. And let me tell you, it was a mess even then.
But today? Today is a whole different kind of circus. I’m talking about the news industry, obviously. The one I’m currently ranting about. The one that’s falling apart at the seams, but hey, at least we’ve got alot of shiny new toys to play with.
I’m Frank, by the way. Frank Malone. Senior editor at a major publication. Well, major-ish. It’s a long story. Let’s just say I’ve seen things. And by things, I mean absolute catastrophes that somehow became front-page news.
That Time We Published a Fake Story (And Nobody Noticed)
Okay, okay, it wasn’t exactly fake. But it was, like, 87% made up. Back in 2014, we ran a piece about a supposed “whistleblower” at a major tech company. Let’s call him Marcus. Marcus was gonna expose some huge scandal. Except Marcus didn’t exist.
I mean, he was a real person, sure. But the scandal? That was all us. We had a source, a colleague named Dave, who swore up and down that this thing was gonna blow the lid off everything. So we ran with it. Big mistake.
Turns out, Dave had been drinking. A lot. And by drinking, I mean he was blackout drunk at a conference in Austin. He’d made the whole thing up. But by then, the story was out. And honestly? Nobody cared. We got more clicks that day than we had in months.
Which, yeah. Fair enough. But still. It’s just… yeah.
Breaking News: We Have No Idea What We’re Doing
Here’s the thing about breaking news. Nobody knows what’s happening. Not really. We’re all just kinda guessing. And sometimes, we guess wrong. Like, really wrong.
Take the time we reported that a major politician was gonna resign. We had it on good authority. Or so we thought. Turns out, the “source” was a prankster. A kid from Ohio who thought it’d be funny to mess with us. And it was funny. For him. Not so much for us.
But here’s the kicker. We still ran the story. Because, you know, “breaking news.” And because we were too lazy to verify it properly. And because, frankly, we were all kinda hoping it was true.
I mean, come on. Who hasn’t wanted to see a pompous politician eat humble pie? But that’s not the point. The point is, we screwed up. Again.
Social Media: The Wild West of News
Oh, you wanna talk about social media? Fine. Let’s talk about social media. It’s a mess. A complete and utter mess. And we’re all just along for the ride.
I was having coffee with a friend last Tuesday. Let’s call her Sarah. Sarah’s a journalist too. She’s good. Really good. But even she’s struggling to keep up with the madness.
“It’s like we’re all just shouting into the void,” she told me. “And the void is shouting back.” Which, honestly, is a pretty accurate description of Twitter these days.
But here’s the thing about social media. It’s not going away. And we can’t just ignore it. We have to engage with it. Even if it makes us want to tear our hair out.
So, what’s the solution? I don’t know. Maybe we should all just take a break. A long one. Like, a year. Or ten. But until then, we’re stuck here. In the chaos. Making it up as we go.
Traveling in the Age of Fake News
You know what else is a mess? Travel news. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof. We’re so busy chasing scandals and political drama that we forget to tell people how to stay safe when they’re on the road.
I mean, come on. We’re in Vegas. This is a city that thrives on tourism. And yet, we rarely talk about the practical stuff. The stuff that actually matters.
So, here’s a little advice. If you’re gonna travel, be smart about it. Do your research. Know the risks. And for the love of all that’s holy, check out this travel safety tips precautions guide. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
And no, I don’t care if it’s not the most glamorous topic. Someone’s gotta say it. Might as well be me.
A Tangent: My Hate-Hate Relationship with Press Releases
Oh, and while we’re on the subject of things that make me want to scream, let’s talk about press releases. Ugh. Just ugh.
I got one the other day. It was 14 pages long. Fourteen. And it was about a new type of paperclip. A paperclip. You know, the thing that holds papers together. In an office. Where people still use paper, I guess.
The press release was full of jargon and buzzwords and absolutely no useful information. It was a complete waste of time. But hey, at least it gave me something to complain about.
Look, I get it. PR people have a job to do. But so do we. And their job isn’t to make ours harder. So, to all the PR folks out there, here’s a little advice: keep it short. Keep it simple. And for the love of all that’s holy, tell us something we actually need to know.
Back to the Chaos
Anyway, where were we? Oh, right. The news industry.
So, yeah. It’s a mess. A complete and utter mess. But it’s our mess. And we’re stuck with it. So, we might as well make the best of it.
And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll figure it all out. Maybe we’ll find a way to make sense of the chaos. Maybe we’ll even learn to love it.
But I’m not holding my breath.
About the Author: Frank Malone is a senior editor with 22 years of experience in the news industry. He’s seen it all, done it all, and has the scars to prove it. When he’s not ranting about the state of journalism, he can be found complaining about press releases and drinking way too much coffee.
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