When did we stop letting things be surprises? These days, it feels like every “big announcement” is ruined before it even happens – not by leaks or whistle-blowers, but by the news itself. I saw a headline the other day: “What to expect in the King’s Speech.” Well, if you’re telling me what’s in it before it’s been given, it’s hardly a surprise, is it?
This isn’t just a one-off. It’s everywhere. The Budget used to be kept under wraps – now we get a full breakdown on Tuesday, days before the Chancellor opens his briefcase. Even Glastonbury can’t resist. Remember when the “surprise act” really was a surprise? Now it’s all over Twitter a fortnight early, discussed on podcasts and debated on breakfast telly. By the time they hit the stage, the only ones who didn’t know were the sheep in the next field and the bloke selling falafel who’s been off-grid since March.
It’s like the news has turned into a never-ending trailer for the actual event – except we’re told everything in advance, and then still expected to act surprised when it finally happens.
And it’s exhausting. I don’t know about you, but I remember when Mum and Dad would stay up for the Nine O’Clock News. One half-hour, proper grown-up news, then off to bed. Job done.
Now it’s non-stop rolling updates, special editions, “breaking” stories that aren’t actually breaking. You can’t move for headlines, and most of them are just noise. It’s no wonder people are switching off. We’re so overloaded nothing sticks.
It’s all just background hum.
And don’t get me startedon the clickbait used by most media outlets – all those daft headlines like “You won’t believe what happened next” (I can’t be bothered to find out, but I probably would) or “What she did next left everyone shocked.” It probably didn’t, it’s usually something incredibly boring. But the barrage is constant, and it’s shaped a whole generation. Our teens, the labelled Gen Z, have grown up with this stuff. No wonder they’re so deeply cynical. They’ve been fed a diet of nonsense and overhyped fluff since they could tap a screen. But they’re not ignoring the news – far from it. In my broad experience they’re more informed and aware than previous generations were at their age. They’re just weary of being manipulated by it.
It’s not just irritating – it’s a problem. If everything is treated like big news, then nothing really is.
When something genuinely important does happen, half of us are too burnt out to care.
So here’s a mad idea: let surprises be surprises. Give us the news when it’s actually news, not days ahead with a constant runing commentary. Maybe then we’ll start paying attention again.
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