Reporting on the positive

In her prediction for journalism 2024, Tania Montalvo addresses something I have personally experienced. More and more people are avoiding the news all together because they are tired of the constant negativity. Everyone is tired of the “toxic politics” and general “negativity that affects their mood in daily life.” Every other day there is a war going on, some one is being arrested for a heinous crime, the planet is heating up, gas prices are increasing, the negativity never stops. Montalvo obviously isn’t saying that we should stop covering the bad news, but instead “that coverage needs to be accompanied by hope.” She also isn’t expecting us to receive stories about newborn puppies. She wants the news outlets to listen to their viewers, understand that we are all trying to deal with the chaos surrounding us, and “build a news agenda around a sense of hope.” We still need to remain informed of the events transpiring around us, but instead of the constant wave of depression, “the media should give people coverage about solutions, community fights, and hopeful and inspiring stories.” If the media doesn’t shift towards balancing some positive with the negative, news avoidance will grow to all time highs.

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