[Anaesthesia]

For every sh*tty horrible thing that goes off, and makes us scared, and therefore even more dependent on those in control...I would like to see an even balance of GOOD news stories, and believe me, they do exist.

Why aren't we shown happy things? Is it all to do with the climate of fear?

Honestly guys, there are genuinely nice things happening every day. They far outnumber the sh*t. Show me that, and let me believe in my fellow humans during these times of "crisis".

There are more decent people out there than bad. Please report that.

Edit: Not cats in trees please.

[Anaesthesia]

I really put this in the wrong forum and don't know how to move it

[MB.]

Natalie Negrotti inspiring positivity

[Anaesthesia]

Originally Posted by MB.

Natalie Negrotti inspiring positivity

Haha, love you for the BBUS reply ( and I love her too) even tho this has been moved

[Pete.]

Good news doesn't sell

[James]

TV news and newspapers are partly a form of entertainment for people. (And also) same reason that people like to watch horror films.

[Anaesthesia]

Originally Posted by James

TV news and newspapers are partly a form of entertainment for people. Same reason that people like to watch horror films.

But it would be nice to have a break from unremitting hroror...

[James]

Yeah I would like more good news shown.

[Marsh.]

But, also, what kind of positive stories would be on the same level of news worthy status as world affairs/terrorism/politics etc?

A mass shooting in Paris is slightly more news worthy than a local cat being cut free from some bars at a cafe in Paris.

You could say the reporting on celebrity love lives is the balance. Does Taylor Swift's bed hopping not warm your heart?

[Toy Soldier]

It doesn't sell, is the long and short answer.

Just look at those cheap tat gossip mags which are full of nothing-news... it's STILL all awful.

"How a fat belly killed my sister!"
"I thought I had stubbed my toe BUT IT WAS CANCER!"
"My stepdad fingered my cat to death!"

[Josy]

Sadly most people don't find good news interesting, they prefer to see the nasty and horrible things going on in the world/happening to others I guess because then it doesn't make their own lives look as bad or something?

I would enjoy seeing some more good news in the media rather than it being doom and gloom constantly but it's the media, they stick with what sells no matter how terrible it is.

[Kizzy]

They do, but we don't notice them half the time...and there is a lot of shiz to wade through

[Maru]

I’m guessing when you’re talking about the larger media syndicates out there, in which case, you’re asking for too much.

Most of those outlets prefer stories that create reactions from the spoon fed masses. If tweaking the narrative (i.e. spinning) a certain direction allows them to have more greater control and influence over their audience, then those larger outfits are going to spin spin spin until they get the result(s) they want. Much of their "objectivity" is given in very specific doses to enforce a farce of trust with the consumer, but they don't care in the long run about staying fair and balanced. They will run a story into the ground to milk it for all it's worth, even if it has a detrimental effect on the psyche of it's society.

Anything that delivers a bias or supports an agenda is looking to influence their audience… that's just the way it is. The larger they are, the more people they have to accommodate, i.e. lowest common denominator. We live in the era of media storms (rather, media created storms) and hollywood style dramatic news delivery (i.e. news "entertainment") so that likely won’t change for a very long time as long as the $$$ are still coming in from advertisers.

It is possible to get a balanced source, but you have to change the way you consume media and become familiar with sources outside of what most people are familiar with. If you're a little creative, you can be your own curator. You also have to think for yourself (you'd be surprised how many can't handle this step). Sometimes you have to question whether or not a source you are using that appears genuine and position is actually serving an underlying toxic agenda.

For example, I ran into this issue with one of the design blogs I followed. Everything looks good until I realized that the constant chatter of "being good enough" or "changing the world" is just another way to put the reader in desperate enough mentality to put you in one of their sponsors pockets to sign up for their service or courses. It ended up being 75% of it was the same spoon fed spin on the creative energy, with almost nothing new added except a new facade. There were some topics I was new to, but once the "new-ness" wore away, it was the same scratching of the surface. In other words, it was vapid. What's funny is those sources can sometimes make you feel worse about yourself (i.e. dependent as you mentioned) so you have to watch out for things like that as well.

My suggestion would be to stick to sources that are closer to the topic (smaller outfits with more to lose). They are almost always required to stay authentic in order to remain relevant to the reader, so you will get a good mixture of positive and negative spins on the issue. i.e. Find the local blogger or smaller websites that are more niche, specializing in certain areas and then add them to your personal feed, whether it's email or Twitter. Niche sites are also not as "big" per say, so they still focus enough on quality without being too small and generally put out enough content to keep you informed.

I recommend Twitter because it's much easier to unfollow/follow sources and your email won't get sold to companies and ending up in more SPAM every time you sign up for anything either. It's also very easy to quickly follow accounts putting out topics or news you are interested in and when I click the links the provider gets the revenue without an ad blocker. I also never miss breaking news (i.e. trending topics) because some of the designers or other interesting people I follow are chronic tweeters and will post something up if it's trending.

If you follow a few dozen of these, you will have a rich diverse (and dare I say, balanced) feed and you can tweak it however you wish. I follow a lot of blogs in the UK catering to my job, graphic design, web design, interior design, space exploration, animal rescue, various other things I find interesting and stimulating (and not depressing first thing in the morning!)… I also follow other local official organizations too, to learn how they are getting involved in community events.

For example, I am waiting for Trees for Houston to have another give away so I can go pick up a sapling in my yard.

It’s much more pleasant too than getting your news from that angry aunt who constantly posts about Trump and is filling up your feed with how the govt is out to get you. Don’t like the way one of the sites are going? Unfollow… find another and test drive it for a bit.

This article actually is interesting, talks about the decline of smaller outfits/blogging as a medium due to the expansion of social media. It’s worth a read if it’s your cup of tea. It's about an Iran blogger who returned to the internet after being in prison for his blog.

Iran's blogfather: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are killing the web
https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...illing-the-web

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Pete.

Good news doesn't sell

Exactly. A few years ago, amid much of a fanfare, a 'Good News' only newspaper opened in the UK. I think it had to close in a matter of months.

[kirklancaster]

I would wager, that if I started a 'Good News' thread, apart from - possibly Jenny Juniper ( Bless Her) it would elicit no interest and no responses.

[Ammi]

..it's a bit like saying..why is everyone so grumpy/miserable etc.....and then someone saying, well what about that person who just gave you a big smile or some awwwww moment...and you hadn't really absorbed those things so much..I think that some things that happen and are reported are so horrific/sad etc that they absorb us/our attention and thoughts to such an extent that we don't always see the good stuff and appreciate the good stuff, it just slips right on by more unnoticed or less being absorbed by us but it is there and is also reported...(I did check some of the morning news....)...

[arista]

Originally Posted by Anaesthesia

I really put this in the wrong forum and don't know how to move it

No Its a Legit Serious Debate.



Of Course
I buy the FT
its full of Good Happy Views

[arista]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

It doesn't sell, is the long and short answer.

Just look at those cheap tat gossip mags which are full of nothing-news... it's STILL all awful.

"How a fat belly killed my sister!"
"I thought I had stubbed my toe BUT IT WAS CANCER!"
"My stepdad fingered my cat to death!"

Make that into a Film.

[arista]

Originally Posted by James

Yeah I would like more good news shown.

Buy the FT then
James

[arista]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..it's a bit like saying..why is everyone so grumpy/miserable etc.....and then someone saying, well what about that person who just gave you a big smile or some awwwww moment...and you hadn't really absorbed those things so much..I think that some things that happen and are reported are so horrific/sad etc that they absorb us/our attention and thoughts to such an extent that we don't always see the good stuff and appreciate the good stuff, it just slips right on by more unnoticed or less being absorbed by us but it is there and is also reported...(I did check some of the morning news....)...

Yes Ammi Your smile at me
gives me a Buzz

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by kirklancaster

I would wager, that if I started a 'Good News' thread, apart from - possibly Jenny Juniper ( Bless Her) it would elicit no interest and no responses.

There's the 'little things that make you smile' thread, which is similar, that as lots of responses.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Well the answer is 2 parts


1. newspapers are commercial organisations and their aim is to make money

2. they do print good news but you probably dont remember it

[joeysteele]

Sadly a fair number of people who buy papers, want gossip,lies and sensationalist nonsense.
Good news would be largely seen as irrelevant and passed over.

[bitontheslide]

Its news though, which amounts to items of interest. While a particular news story may seem bad to someone, there will be another who thinks its very good news. therefore .... it can only be .... news

[Toy Soldier]

The only "good" news stories I can think of in the tabloids are things about the bloody Royals ("Prince George made poopie!") or stories about beer-swilling arseholes winning the lottery.

Both utterly depressing.