Journalism takes time.

I know the news is frustrating you right now. I get it. You want to know what’s going on and you want to know it right this second. But you have caused the very problem you complain about.

By demanding news nownownow you force news orgs to work faster than they can verify – because if they don’t you look away and pay attention to the ones that will serve you hot ‘n fresh news faster, even if it’s wrong.

You reward the folks who give in and then blame everyone for giving in.

It does not work both ways.

News takes time. Truth takes time to verify. Either you reward people who take their time and od it right, or you give in to the panic and hard dick that makes you need to know everything this very second.

One of those will get you better journalism and news. The other will get you sores from chafing.

So stop rewarding people for making the situation worse, stop thinking the problem doesn’t start with you and end in reduced journalism, and start fighting for better journalism – because I promise you this: journalists want to do better, work harder and deliver sounder reports.

Let them. Encourage them. Reward them. Please.

Or keep whining about it and railing when faster doesn’t mean better and why can’t you just have everything you want.

Your move, Internet.