positive news


more noble principles of journalism.” She isn’t advocating that journalists


People are avoiding the news. Showing it’s not all bad will bring them back, says Veronique Mistiaen


merely produce feel-good news or add a silver lining; problems should still be reported, but it should be recognised that these aren’t the end of the story. “It’s about asking what’s next – including a longer time frame on an issue, so we are able to see beyond the initial impact of a tragedy or disaster,” she says. “By reporting on solutions, we may also be able to learn about how other communities have addressed problems.” For journalists trained that ‘if it


bleeds, it leads’, this might seem counterintuitive. Jackson is often asked: “How can we report solutions if we want to keep people informed about what’s going on?” “This is one of my


Taking the negative out of the news


N


early one in three people say they actively avoid the news, mostly because it lowers their mood. But it’s also


because they feel powerless to change what is happening, according to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s 2019 digital news report, based on data from 38 countries and six continents. Author and campaigner Jodie Jackson (pictured) is not surprised. “I got to the point where I couldn’t bear to hear another news story because I found it so depressing. Constantly hearing about problems made me feel helpless and hopeless about the state of the world,” says Jackson, who holds a master’s degree in applied positive psychology and is a partner at the Constructive Journalism Project. Rather than switching off, she started looking for stories that gave her hope


10 | theJournalist


– those that reported on solutions. “I experienced a really powerful


change when I changed my media diet. I then wanted to understand this on a collective level; I went back to university and researched the impact of the negativity bias in the news on our mental health and the health of our society, as well as what happens when we include stories of solutions,” she says. She condensed her 10 years of research into You Are What You Read – Why Changing Your Media Diet Can Change the World, a book to help readers understand the impact of the news on them and give them the tools to create a healthier media diet, looking for solutions, positive change and progress rather than just problems. She concludes the news environment needs better moral guidance: “Perhaps it is the commercial environment and immediate feedback on consumer engagement that have compromised the


“ ”


Perhaps the commercial environment has compromised the more noble principles of journalism


favourite and most frustrating questions because it assumes problems and solutions are mutually exclusive, or that by learning about solutions you become ignorant to problems,” she says. “But solutions don’t exist in the absence of problems. They are a part of the narrative – a necessary informational addition that enables us to


fully understand the issue.” Jackson also believes that including


solutions can boost accountability and provide a foundation from which people can demand change. In recent years, many outlets – have adopted elements of ‘constructive’ journalism. They include the Guardian, the Economist, the BBC, De Correspondent in the Netherlands, Reporters d’Espoirs in France, DR News in Denmark and the Solutions Journalism Network in the US. With her book, Jackson aims to bridge


the gap between industry and consumers. “Almost every industry that has had a huge and sustained shift towards a more positive purpose has required an informed consumer. If we change the way we consume the news, industry will change the way it produces it,” she says. She hopes that her book will speak to journalists too. “Hopefully, it will challenge the long-held perception that solutions are inconsequential, trivial puff pieces and create a credible case for greater reporting on solutions. Reporting on solutions does not undermine their role as journalists – it enhances it.”


MATHIAS SVOLD


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