The News Is Changing, And Honestly, I’m Not Sure How I Feel About It
Okay, so maybe this is just me rambling (and maybe it’s the third cup of coffee talking), but doesn’t it feel like the news… just *hits different* these days? Like, I remember when I was younger—think early 2000s—turning on the TV at 6 PM meant hearing the news. Like, actual, straightforward stuff. Now? It’s like stepping into a hurricane of opinions, algorithms, and hot takes disguised as headlines.
I’m not trying to sound like your grumpy uncle who still watches cable and complains about “kids these days,” but come on—is it really news if it’s tailored for me by some data-guzzling AI engine that knows I love pizza, cats, and conspiracy theories (kidding… kinda)?
And let’s not even start with social media. News doesn’t break anymore, it explodes—on TikTok, on Twitter (or X, or whatever Elon wants to call it now), and before a fact-checker can even blink, a million people already believe it. It’s chaos, but weirdly… addicting? Like doomscrolling is a new national sport.
Media Giants and the Death of Objectivity (or was it ever really alive?)
I used to believe in journalistic integrity. Like, the kind of deep reporting that holds power accountable and doesn’t care who gets upset. But now… I don’t know. Every outlet feels like it’s picked a side. Left, right, center (what even is center anymore?), and I can’t shake the feeling that somewhere along the line, the line got erased.
It’s like everyone’s yelling louder and louder, but no one’s really listening. Or maybe we are, but only to the stuff we agree with. Like, our feeds are echo chambers padded with confirmation bias. Heck, even the headlines scream for clicks now—“You Won’t Believe What This Senator Just Said!” Yeah, and you won’t believe how fast I regretted clicking it.
Is AI Making This Worse? Or… better?
Look, I get it. I’m writing this on a blog. I used Grammarly. I googled some stats. Maybe some AI helped somewhere along the line. But it’s weird, right? AI is literally writing the news now. Or at least summarizing it. Which—cool, I guess. Faster info. Cleaner summaries. But also… where’s the heart?
Like, who’s asking the questions that the AI doesn’t know to ask? Who’s sitting in a dusty town hall with a notebook and a tape recorder, trying to find the truth? I miss that image. The scruffy reporter with ink-stained fingers and a stubborn streak a mile wide. Maybe they’re still out there. I hope they are.
What Even Counts as News Now?
Some days, I honestly don’t know. Is it a local flood warning? A celebrity’s tweet? Another Supreme Court leak? A viral meme? It’s all mashed together in the same digital soup, and we slurp it up without really tasting it.
Maybe I sound dramatic. Or nostalgic. Or maybe I’m just tired of feeling like the truth has become… negotiable. Whatever it is, I still believe in the idea of news. The real kind. The kind that informs without inflaming. That enlightens without enraging.
So here’s to hoping. Hoping that beneath the noise and the clicks and the chaos, there’s still room for good journalism. And for the people crazy enough to chase it.