What If News Avoiders Are Right—and Journalism Needs to Get Real?

Let’s face it: a staggering number of people are tuning out the news on purpose. Recent reports say that in some countries, up to 60% of the public avoids the news entirely. That’s not just a sign of audience fatigue—it’s a flashing red light for anyone who still believes journalism is “essential.” (Hat tip to BoSacks, whose newsletter first put this article on my radar.)

The Practitioner’s Dilemma: “But How Do We Fix It?”

Having spent years working with and around newsrooms, I’ve had a front-row seat to the cycle: new tools, new platforms, fresh engagement strategies—all launched in the hope of winning back audiences. But let’s be honest: none of it really matters if the news itself doesn’t fit into people’s lives. The recent piece, What if news avoiders are right and you don’t need journalism? confronts this crisis head-on.

The authors argue that journalism has been missing the mark, producing for peers or vague notions of “the public” while ignoring how people actually use—or don’t use—what we publish. The JR3 project, with folks from the Knight Lab and News Alchemists, gathered a group to ask two deceptively simple questions:

  • “What is the purpose of journalism?”
  • “What should journalism enable us to feel, think, or do?”

When journalists answered honestly, their responses shifted from the usual talk of “watchdogs” and “guardians of truth.” Instead, people wanted journalism to help them feel better, take meaningful action, and connect with others. Not exactly the classic playbook—but maybe that’s the point.

But the Contrarian in Me Isn’t Satisfied

Now, here’s where my skeptical side kicks in. If we only create journalism to make people feel good or “empowered,” do we risk turning away from the hard truths that journalism is supposed to shine a light on? The world isn’t always a comfortable place. Sometimes, the news is negative because reality is negative.

Let’s not fool ourselves: there’s a danger in softening every edge or chasing popularity at the expense of uncomfortable, necessary stories. Journalism isn’t about customer service or crafting content that never offends. It’s about surfacing what matters—even when that means unsettling people, or challenging their views.

So Where’s the Sweet Spot?

For me, the real opportunity here isn’t about throwing out the old model for the shiny new one. It’s about balance. Yes, journalism should be more in tune with its audience: listen more, communicate with empathy, design stories that matter in the real world. But at the same time, it can’t become an echo chamber or a comfort zone.

The best journalism serves both the audience’s needs and the public interest—even when those don’t perfectly align. That tension? That’s where the real work happens.

Want to Go Deeper?

  • How would a newsroom look if it truly put audience needs at the center, every day?
  • Should every story be “empowering,” or do some just need to be true?
  • How do we measure impact without reducing journalism to a popularity contest?
  • Where does audience input strengthen journalism, and where does it dilute its mission?

Who Should Care?

If you work with media, study journalism, or have simply given up on the news because it feels irrelevant or exhausting—now’s the time to get involved. This isn’t just about keeping journalism alive as a business; it’s about making it matter to people again, even when that means making us all a little uncomfortable.

Memorable Takeaway:
“The pre-existing mental model for journalism falls apart when you center the audience.” But maybe it holds together best when you center both the audience—and the uncomfortable truth.

AI Is Fueling a Fake Content Flood — Even People You Know Can Be Caught

In the past week, at least two people close to me unknowingly reshared fake content on Facebook. These aren’t people who fall for chain emails or post conspiracy theories—they’re thoughtful, curious, and fairly tech-savvy. But that’s the reality now: it’s getting harder to tell what’s real online, even for people who usually know better.

The reason? AI is making it fast, cheap, and easy to generate fake stories, headlines, graphics, and even entire videos. And bots are spreading it all before we even realize it.

Take a moment to watch this clip from Rachel Maddow on MSNBC:
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-debunks-weird-fake-news-a-i-slop-stories-about-her-and-msnbc-infect-social-media-243601477992

Whether or not you’re a Maddow fan is beside the point. This segment shows how AI-generated nonsense—fake news stories, bot-written posts, and junk links—are showing up in our feeds, using her name and likeness to push made-up narratives. These aren’t even deepfakes. They’re low-effort, high-impact content designed to manipulate, outrage, and spread like wildfire.

Why People Fall for It

Here’s the tricky part: fake content doesn’t look fake anymore. Logos are copied, images are AI-generated, and the writing sounds just believable enough. AI tools are trained to mimic real news formats, which means many of the visual cues we used to rely on—like headlines, layout, or even tone—can’t be trusted the same way.

Add to that how fast we all scroll, how emotionally charged most social feeds are, and how much trust we put in content shared by people we know… and you’ve got a recipe for misinformation.

What You Can Do

I’m still a believer in AI’s potential, but I’m also realistic about how it’s being used right now. If you’re on social media, you need to assume you’ll be exposed to fake content—because you already have been.

Here are a few habits that help:

  • Pause before you share. If something triggers a strong reaction, that’s a good time to stop and investigate.
  • Check the source. Is it a reputable outlet? Does the link go where it says it does?
  • Reverse image search. Tools like Google Lens can help identify whether a photo has been altered or recycled.
  • Cross-check. If no one else is reporting it, there’s probably a reason.

Fake content is cheap. Your attention—and trust—are not. Stay sharp out there.

If this post helps even one person slow down before clicking “share,” it was worth writing. Let’s keep each other honest.