While I’m a former newspaper publisher, I spent the latter part of my career fully embracing digital media. And in retirement, I’ve continued to study this life-changing evolution. But I still have many of the same frustrations you feel.
We scroll through our phones, and half of what we see makes us shake our heads. Crazy people sitting at home in their underwear now have a voice that reaches the whole world. Negativity is everywhere. Conspiracy theories fly around like mosquitoes on a hot summer night. Social media feels like the Wild West. There are very few rules, and there’s no sheriff in town.
We all feel it in our bones. There is a lot not to like about the way things are now.
But let me tell you something from my years as a newspaper publisher. If you dislike the way it is today, you would really dislike the way it used to be. We are in a messy time of change right now. Let me explain it in plain terms.
Back when I ran papers like the Sun Herald and the Times-Picayune, we were news and comment gatekeepers. We decided what news you got to see in the paper and online. We picked which stories ran big, which ones got buried, or which didn’t run at all. We had teams of people moderating comments. We tried to keep things civil. And it took a lot of money. And yes, our own biases played a role. If a story did not fit how we saw the world, or if it might upset certain people or advertisers, it might not have seen the light of day.
That old model shut out many good people. Regular folks with real concerns about jobs, taxes, schools, or what was happening right in their own backyard got left out. Letters to the editor? We chose which ones ran. Op-eds? Same thing. Too many voices never got heard. A small group in the newsroom played God with the information. And that same gatekeeper model is still alive and well today in network and cable news operations. Biases are running wild there. Don’t think for a minute that’s not happening. One reality we must also face: Journalism schools are vastly liberal, so conservative voices are few and far between in the media today.
The internet and social media blew everything wide open. Suddenly, anyone could comment or become a reporter (The gatekeepers have been slowly but surely losing their grip on controlling what news we see). At first, that felt like freedom. But it also lets the crazies, cranks, and loudmouths shout from the rooftops. Social media algorithms push the angry and negative stuff because it keeps people staring at their phone screens. Conspiracy talk spreads faster when we are mad at each other or scared.
It is the Wild West out there, for sure. There’s a lot of noise and junk. And yes, it can mess with our heads if we stay glued to it all day.
But here is the honest truth: The old days hid more problems than they fixed. They made too many regular people feel powerless. They let biases and big-city thinking decide what counted as news for people in their own communities. Trust in the media dropped for a reason. It’s at an all-time low right now.
We are in a time of transition. It is uncomfortable. It’s like tearing down an old house to build a better one. The good news is that new tools are on the way. They can help sort the good from the bad without going back to the old gatekeeper days.
Artificial intelligence is going to play a big role in helping us come to grips with this. Just think about how smart systems will be able to flag the craziest nonsense. They will be able to highlight facts from different sides. Or they can help you see when something is just trying to make you mad. It won’t be perfect. But it will be way better than a handful of editors in a room deciding for everybody.
In the meantime, protect yourself. Follow people who make sense. Hit mute or block on the toxic stuff. Talk to your neighbors face-to-face more than you scroll. And we have to face this next part head-on: the studies on what social media and unsupervised smartphones are doing to our kids are undeniable.
Writing my book, Finding Hope: 25 Lifelines to Help You Through Your Storms (publishing in August 2026), helped me better understand what kids are going through these days. We cannot keep giving children full, private access to these platforms. It is harming their mental health in serious ways. We need stricter rules and laws that restrict smartphone and social media use by kids until they are older. Parents, schools, and lawmakers must step up and fix this now.
The Wild West is not perfect. But going back to the old controlled press would be worse. It left too many of us out in the cold. We are figuring it out. Be patient. Stay grounded. And keep speaking your mind. The truth has a way of winning when more voices get to join the conversation.
What do you think? Share this with your friends. I look forward to talking more about this on future shows.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
