For a long time, I believed social media had democratized truth. Everyone could speak and report. Information was instant, free, and everywhere.
Today, I believe it has democratized something else: misinformation, which is, in most cases, fantasy-driven. Therefore, I have made a conscious decision: I am going back to traditional media.
I am returning to the daily newspaper, its morning editorial, and the thrill of turning pages. To reports filed by reliable sources, by journalists who put their names, their reputations, and their organizations behind what they write. To dabble in my daily appetite for the Crossword puzzle. What changed?
A realization. On social media, falsehoods spread faster than the truth. A fake video can travel across the world before the correction has had time to put its shoes on. AI-generated images, out-of-context content and clips, and anonymous accounts claiming to be “insiders” — the ecosystem now rewards outrage, not accuracy.
We are no longer debating opinions. We are debating facts. And that is dangerous. I have seen CEOs lose their reputations, markets crash on rumours, and entire communities polarize over an unverified post, often half-baked. And what about the glorified ‘citizen journalist’?
A decade ago, we celebrated the idea that everyone with a phone is a journalist. It sounded democratic. Today, that title has lost its standing. Without training, accountability, or an editor to ask “is this true?”, the citizen journalist often becomes simply a citizen amplifier — amplifying outrage, rumour, and half-truths for likes.
Journalism is not just posting what you saw; it is verifying it. We’ve lost that discipline, so I am going back to professionals who still practise it. Social media has given us speed, but it has taken away verification.
Why traditional media still matters. I don’t agree with every editorial. No newspaper is perfect. But traditional media has something social media has lost: accountability. There is an editor. There is a publisher. There is a correction policy. Process: A story is checked, sourced, and legally reviewed before it is printed. Patience: It values being right over being first.
When I read a credible daily, I may not get the news first, but I trust I am getting it right. So, my personal rule from now on: If it’s important — a business decision, a geopolitical event, or a health issue — I will not rely on a viral post. I will wait for a reliable source to confirm it.
Speed is cheap. Truth is expensive. I choose truth. The future belongs to AI, but truth will still belong to those who do the hard work of journalism. I invite you to do the same: Read less from the feed. Read more from the paper.
What do you think? Have you felt fatigued by fake news, too?
About the Author; Menin Rodrigues is a management consultant.
