Political turmoil, crime rampage, terrorist attacks, poverty, and tragedy, news always has a habit of erring on the grim side. Our planet is not a kind place - at least, if you keep up with the latest media reports, and that leave people feeling hopeless and apathetic. This is exactly why I reckon media need to take a new perspective and start to focus more on the good news.
To begin with, the fundamental reason that bad news fills the headlines and front page of newspapers is simple – news agencies seek audiences and bad news sell more prints. For instance, as shown by a recent study by Cambridge University, newsstand magazine sales increase by roughly 30 per cent when the cover is negative rather than positive. Negative news content, in comparison with positive news content, tends to increase both arousal and attentiveness, and can be powerful in terms of grabbing the attention of readers.
That being said, most of those depressing and upsetting news can have a severe impact on both mental and physical health of the readers. On the contrary, positive news that focus on solutions, achievements and peace building can lead to increased levels of optimism, hope and self-efficacy, where people believe the world can get better and they feel empowered to contribute. Journalism has the responsibility to engage with the public in a way that creates an atmosphere of social interaction, and it lies in positive news to fulfil that responsibility.
All in all, I reckon that positive and negative news stories should not compete, but co-exist. We need to notice the world’s achievements alongside its failings in order to report on and understand the world more accurately, and media has a paramount role to play here to include more positive news in order to balance the blend.1