Is all the bad news getting you down? I mean, understandably so. We are witnesses to a frightening shift in the world and there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about it. But are we getting the whole news picture? What if it really is true that the media structure catches bad news and that the other half of the ledger is plumb full of really good things going on that we’re just not hearing about.
I know it sounds naïve that I’m personally aghast at the thought that media focuses on doom. Making my living in a world of journalism and writing has made me defend this profession throughout my career, but the reality is that the past 10 years has delivered up undisputable data that bad news coverage dominates at the detriment of positive leaps forward in news that also has an impact globally. Have to say, it’s ironic to be writing this column for a mainstream media outlet, but I do see the Advocate juggling both global news stories and uplifting local features – and doing a good job of it.
But generally speaking, the news has become a great deal more negative over the past 10 years. Bad things have definitely happened to warrant media coverage, of course, but it’s also the case that positive stories depicting advancements and gains were simply not covered at the same rate. A study of 23 million headlines from 47 popular news outlets shows that in the last two decades the share of headlines denoting anger increased by 104% and the share evoking fear surged by 150%.
This data is from the website FixTheNews.com, which Angus Hervey, who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, founded nine years ago on the premise that the news can also delight and surprise. Angus believes the world is better than you think. He is working tirelessly to fill that depleted side of the news ledger with positive news stories that wield high impact. These are data-driven stories of social, environmental, energy, and scientific progress that are uplifting and important to know about. You’ll have to break the doom loop of the news that’s coming into your social media feeds, if you’re only getting news that’s curated through your personal streaming algorithm.
Through weekly articles that have been sourced, researched and vetted from around the world, Fix the News is delivering news about a decrease in the transmission rates of certain diseases, including COVID, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Data shows there are higher rates of vaccinations worldwide, record harvests using less land than ever before, the murder rate has declined on every continent, there’s improved access to clean drinking water, and – Angus’ favourite story from the past year – there is a rise in availability of school meals around the world!
There are many positive stories that have a broad impact on people everywhere that are not getting media attention. One theory is that many of the largest outlets are in the United States, where it is difficult to see past their own plight. Traditional media outlets are understaffed and can’t possibly dig into every story, but perhaps an attempt to begin to counterbalance the media ledger is a good place to start. After all, as our great Canadian songstress Anne Murray shared, we sure could use a little good news today.