Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Chaos

Look, I’ve been in this game for 20+ years. I’ve seen it all. Or so I thought. Then 2020 happened. And now, frankly, I’m not sure what’s what anymore.

I’m Sarah J. Whitmore, senior editor at Property Enews. I’ve got a Pulitzer nomination (lost to some guy who wrote about cheese, honestly), a divorce (unrelated, probably), and a serious committment to telling stories that matter. Or at least trying to.

That Time I Tried to Cover a Protest

Last Tuesday, I found myself in the middle of a protest downtown. It was supposed to be a quick story, in and out. I mean, how hard could it be? Turns out, pretty hard. There were chants, tears, sirens, and a guy on a unicycle (long story). I ended up with 36 hours of footage and a headache. But I got the story. Mostly.

My colleague, let’s call him Marcus, he just shook his head when I told him. “You’re gonna get us sued,” he said. I told him to relax. It’s not like I was gonna use all of it. But I did learn one thing: the news cycle moves faster than ever. And it’s completley out of control.

Breaking News: It’s Breaking Us

I remember when “breaking news” meant something. Now? It’s a joke. Every little thing is “breaking.” Your cat escaped? Breaking news. Your neighbor’s garden gnome went missing? Breaking news. It’s exhausting. And it’s making us all dumb.

I was at a conference in Austin about three months ago. There was this guy, Dave, from some digital news outlet. He told me, “We’ve gotta keep the clicks coming.” I asked him if he even cared about the news anymore. He just laughed. “Not really,” he said. Which… yeah. Fair enough.

The Algorithm is Winning

Here’s the thing: the algorithm doesn’t care about truth. It doesn’t care about facts. It cares about one thing: engagement. And that’s a problem. Because now, everyone’s chasing that dragon. And we’re all worse off for it.

I’ve seen it happen. A story that should be a quick blurb becomes a 10-part series because it’s “driving traffic.” A minor political news analysis today — political news analysis today — gets blown out of proportion because it’s “going viral.” It’s madness. And it’s not gonna stop anytime soon.

A Quick Digression: The Time I Interviewed a Celeb

So, about a year ago, I got to interview this big-time celeb. You’d know her name. I won’t say it. But she was… interesting. She talked about her new physicaly demanding role, her upcoming aquisition of a vineyard, and her thoughts on world peace. It was a lot. And honestly, I don’t think she knew what she was talking about half the time. But hey, it was a good story. And people loved it.

Back to Reality

Look, I’m not saying we should go back to the days of newspapers and typewriters. But we need to find a balance. We need to remember that news is about more than just clicks. It’s about informing people. It’s about holding power to account. It’s about making the world a better place.

And yeah, maybe that’s naive. Maybe I’m just an old fogey yelling at the clouds. But I’ve seen the news cycle from the inside. And it’s broken. And we’re all to blame.

So, what’s the answer? I don’t know. Maybe it’s about being more critical. Maybe it’s about demanding better. Maybe it’s about remembering that not everything is “breaking news.” Maybe it’s about all of the above.

I’m not sure. But I do know this: we can’t keep going like this. Because if we do, we’re gonna lose something important. And we’re gonna lose it for good.

About the Author: Sarah J. Whitmore is a senior editor at Property Enews. She’s been in the industry for over 20 years and has seen it all. Or so she thinks. When she’s not chasing stories, she’s chasing her cat, Whiskers, around her tiny apartment in New York. She’s a firm believer in the Oxford comma and thinks pineapple belongs on pizza. You can find her on Twitter @SarahJWhitmore, where she rants about the news cycle and her latest baking disasters.

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