Denise Baden, a researcher, has been awarded funds from the Economic and Social Research Council to present workshops to journalism students on how to frame news in a more constructive way.
After being prompted to investigate the ethical importance of new values being reported, Baden noticed how disengaged professionals of the reporting arena became when positive news was presented to them. According to Baden, “they tend to regard negative or bad news as ‘real news’ that should be reported.”
Baden questioned whether constant exposure to bad news had a contributing outcome of the growing problem of mental health. Was depression and apathy a creation partly from the surrounding negativity coming from the news?
Reuters, BBC, Al Jazeera and Sky editors were interviewed on the matter, and Baden reported the common thread between these top editors was that “negative news was news.” Positive news was met with a dismissive attitude, with editors justifying that the public need to remain informed so they can act upon it.
“However, there is evidence that humans are hard-wired to pay attention to alarming news as part of an evolutionary adaptive response, meaning that consumption of negative news is not necessarily a freely chosen activity. The argument that negativity is more likely to prompt action is also false as evidence indicates the opposite.
The dynamic appears to be that negative news leads to feelings of powerlessness and apathy – that in the face of terrible happenings we feel unable to do anything about, the most typical response is to turn away. On the other hand, more positively framed stories that focus on reconstruction, rather than destruction, are more likely to inspire a wish to help. Results from the studies also showed a clear preference for more positive news, although there was acknowledgement that negative news was more likely to grab attention.”
The funds received for Baden’s work will allow for the issue to get across to new students of journalism that there is an ethical ground one must maintain, that positive news is news worthy and relevant to society. Negative stories can also be framed in a way to present them in a more positive light.
“Framing news in such a negative and shocking style might be good for business, but it is not good for mental health or society.”[1]
[1] How constructive journalism could help solve the ethical dilemma of overly negative news. Retrieved from [Positive News]. http://positivenews.org.uk/2015/culture/media/17523/constructive-journalism-help-solve-ethical-dilemma-overly-negative-news/
