They cover tech layoffs and labor shortages—but ghost jobs, toxic hiring, and the emotional toll? Not worth the post or the airtime, apparently.

I Reached Out. The Press Didn’t.

The job market is broken. But you wouldn’t know that from reading the headlines. While mainstream outlets churn out stories about market resilience, booming job numbers, low uneployment, mass layoffs, talent shortages, and vague optimism about AI-driven hiring, they consistently ignore the stories that job seekers are actually living through.

I reached out to journalists. National reporters. Local desks. I sent emails. I shared what was happening—about ghost jobs, black hole applicant systems, and job application process shrouded in silence. Only one local reporter replied, asked for my phone number—and then ghosted me too. So I started this blog.

The irony writes itself.

What the Press Covers vs. What We’re Living

To be clear, this isn’t about demanding sympathy. It’s about demanding visibility. The media reports on layoffs like natural disasters—sudden, disruptive, dramatic. But there’s no follow-up. No coverage of what happens next to the laid-off. No exploration of how job seekers are stuck in a purgatory of broken systems, unpaid take-homes, AI filters, recruiter vanishing acts, and fake job listings.

In this silence, the hiring process has devolved into a one-sided performance. Employers dangle roles that may not exist. Candidates pour hours into applications and (if they're lucky) interviews. No feedback. No closure. No accountability. And the press? Silent. Not a peep.

What the Silence Enables

When journalists ignore the dysfunction, they normalize it. They give cover to companies who never close the loop. They help sustain the myth that if you just "network harder," "stand out more," "do more," you'll get hired. That it's a talent shortage, not a coverage shortage.

But when 48% of job seekers report being ghosted by employers (Newsweek, 2025), and when thousands of job listings appear to be fake or outdated, that’s not a personal problem. It’s a systemic one. One that deserves scrutiny.

Why It Matters

Journalists shape narratives. When they treat these hiring practices as non-stories, they silence millions. The emotional and financial toll of being endlessly evaluated and never acknowledged is real. And yet, because it's not dramatic or immediate, it goes uncovered.

This invisibility has consequences. Job seekers internalize the silence. They blame themselves. They burn out. Some give up.

Nothing is more insulting than not knowing if you'll ever work again or get a steady paycheck than having to read and hear about how great the job market is.

A Call to the Press: Start Listening

To journalists: we don’t need another profile of a startup CEO who "struggled to hire talent." We need stories about the millions of applicants who never heard back. We need coverage of the performative interviews, the fake postings, the emotional toll of waiting months for rejection emails that never come.

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Disclaimer:

The content on this site is for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the author's personal opinions. It does not constitute financial, legal, or professional advice. All data sources are cited where applicable. Stories shared by users or sourced from public forums are anonymized and presented for illustrative purposes only.