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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe good-news trend: Uplifting? Delusional? Both?
The Columbia Journalism Review
By Mathew Ingram
APRIL 21, 2020
Since we are currently in a global pandemic that has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the closure of stores, restaurants, and other hallmarks of normal life, its not surprising many people are searching for things to take their minds off the gloom. And what they are clinging toand sharing on social networksis often explicitly good news, be it heartwarming stories about kids having virtual birthday parties where friends drive by and honk their horns, or people banging pots and pans to celebrate healthcare workers. Theres even a news network dedicated to this kind of thing, although its a tongue-in-cheek take on the genre. Its a YouTube channel that features actor and filmmaker John Krasinski, best known for his role in the sitcom The Office, sitting at a desk in what appears to be his den, dressed in a suit and hosting a show he calls Some Good News, complete with a hand-painted sign that reads sgn (drawn by his children). He throws to video clips and does live interviews, just like John Oliver or Stephen Colbert, but the purpose is to be uplifting, not satirical.
snip
It seems churlish to even question this trend, because its so clearly designed to be heartwarming. Who doesnt want their heart warmed, especially when we are all marinating in a stew of fear and despair? And even if someone didnt want their heart warmed, what kind of monster would begrudge someone else having theirs warmed? Especially if its by a little girl being serenaded by the entire cast of Hamilton because she couldnt make it to the real Broadway show. Watching that kind of gestureas calculated or orchestrated as it might betouches a very human place in us, just like watching kittens play with string, or seeing a child do something adorably dumb. When I shared a short video clip of a spring stream flowing through the woods near my house recently, several people I dont even know thanked me profusely for it, as though I had offered them a drink after days of crawling through the desert.
snip
The problem is that the whole point of the news is to inform people about the world, to give them the knowledge of events that might affect them. And a lot of that knowledge involves depressing things like viruses, or quarantines, war, and death. Is it nice to have a respite from that? Of course. Even journalists need to take breaks, as CNN reporter Brian Stelter admitted he had to do recently, after getting overwhelmed by the relentlessness of coronavirus coverage. But a focus on only good news could easily turn into escapism, if it involves deliberately avoiding the truth in favor of something that feels better, because it implies that the world is just fine the way it is, and therefore nothing needs to change. Thats a little too close to the bread and circuses the ancient Romans provided as a way to keep the populace in line.
snip
By Mathew Ingram
APRIL 21, 2020
Since we are currently in a global pandemic that has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the closure of stores, restaurants, and other hallmarks of normal life, its not surprising many people are searching for things to take their minds off the gloom. And what they are clinging toand sharing on social networksis often explicitly good news, be it heartwarming stories about kids having virtual birthday parties where friends drive by and honk their horns, or people banging pots and pans to celebrate healthcare workers. Theres even a news network dedicated to this kind of thing, although its a tongue-in-cheek take on the genre. Its a YouTube channel that features actor and filmmaker John Krasinski, best known for his role in the sitcom The Office, sitting at a desk in what appears to be his den, dressed in a suit and hosting a show he calls Some Good News, complete with a hand-painted sign that reads sgn (drawn by his children). He throws to video clips and does live interviews, just like John Oliver or Stephen Colbert, but the purpose is to be uplifting, not satirical.
snip
It seems churlish to even question this trend, because its so clearly designed to be heartwarming. Who doesnt want their heart warmed, especially when we are all marinating in a stew of fear and despair? And even if someone didnt want their heart warmed, what kind of monster would begrudge someone else having theirs warmed? Especially if its by a little girl being serenaded by the entire cast of Hamilton because she couldnt make it to the real Broadway show. Watching that kind of gestureas calculated or orchestrated as it might betouches a very human place in us, just like watching kittens play with string, or seeing a child do something adorably dumb. When I shared a short video clip of a spring stream flowing through the woods near my house recently, several people I dont even know thanked me profusely for it, as though I had offered them a drink after days of crawling through the desert.
snip
The problem is that the whole point of the news is to inform people about the world, to give them the knowledge of events that might affect them. And a lot of that knowledge involves depressing things like viruses, or quarantines, war, and death. Is it nice to have a respite from that? Of course. Even journalists need to take breaks, as CNN reporter Brian Stelter admitted he had to do recently, after getting overwhelmed by the relentlessness of coronavirus coverage. But a focus on only good news could easily turn into escapism, if it involves deliberately avoiding the truth in favor of something that feels better, because it implies that the world is just fine the way it is, and therefore nothing needs to change. Thats a little too close to the bread and circuses the ancient Romans provided as a way to keep the populace in line.
snip
Much more in this important article with links, real examples and points to remember when reading and sharing what we would like to think is "good" news.
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The good-news trend: Uplifting? Delusional? Both? (Original Post)
JoeOtterbein
Jul 2020
OP
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)1. Truth be told, I think that good/uplifting news has always gotten short shrift in The Media. It goes
back to that journalistic euphemism "If it bleeds it leads." Having done some world travel and
observed people up close I can say that most of us are ok. I think there's a lot more good/uplifting
news than there is bad/hurtful news. Another personal personal observation is that I'd rather see
photos of puppies and kittens than Donald tRUMP. That isn't "escapism" or ignoring reality. It's a
preference and a good way to preserve my/our mental health.