Taking the Bad Taste out of Bad News

My friends often tell me they avoid reading news because reporters select negative stories. But a report from the Pew Research Center also shows readers in the United States seek out shocking or upsetting topics related to crime, wars, weather and disasters. Sociological Images analyzed Time Magazine’s 2010 issue listing the top newsworthy events of the past decade and found that most of the events were negative.

Fear-based stories can both attract and discourage readers. A NPR interview offers insights into how this takes place. After the oil spill occurred near Louisiana in 2010, NPR interviewed Charles Figley, a social work professor from Tulane University, about news burnout. Figley called the problem “compassion fatigue.” Since people often care about the victims of disasters, accidents and violence, they find it difficult to handle an ongoing barrage of bad news. As news articles and blogs in the United States move toward the left or right, news burnout could intensify if fear-based stories remain common.

Several of Figley’s comments made a strong impression on me:

“When we’re traumatized, and when we hear sadness in the world, we think about what we can do. And there’s actually, for many people, physical pain in wanting to help, to – our heart goes out to them. And if we’re able to help, it feels wonderful. But if you’re not able to help at all, then often – other than, you know, being educated about the situation and maybe using that later to help – it’s toxic, and you have to take a break from that…

We need to look for the good. And by doing that, it will bring us back into the game. It will bring us into a focus on what we should be doing…. And as a result, there may be some positive things that will come out of this. But unless we focus on those issues and see that as important as anything else, it’s not going to happen.”

These quotes agree with research the New York Times reported in 2010. This study went beyond page viewing statistics and reported which stories readers chose to forward. The stories readers e-mailed were often inspirational.

This interesting discovery may not contradict the first study above. News readers may want to read stories about social problems and physical risks, but they may also want to know that these problems can be overcome. They may want to hear about someone else overcoming adversity; alternatively, they may want to know actions they can take to improve the situation.

Readers may be interested in both reading about problems and taking actions to solve them. Although news reporters may avoid recommending solutions, bloggers and nonprofit organizations can step in and provide their perspectives. Organizations outside the mainstream media can fill these gaps and leave readers with a sense that they can make a difference. Other media outlets – for example, magazines – may be open to recommending actions.