I think Josh is tired of my negativity, or he’s concerned that I’m depressed. Or maybe both. I think this because he sent me a link to a Positive News publication that I’m passing along. But the fact is that for me, the good news isn’t really all that good. I could easily throw a wet blanket on specifics in those stories, for instance the one about alternative energy: I think the one-sided media boosterism for that fashionable stuff is not really good news, but industry friendly propaganda that does a massive disservice to the public. Thus, you get the idea.
For news to be newsworthy in my book calls for it to be somewhat skeptical and to question claims made by advocates for this or that. In general, this means newsworthy news tends to be negative. News you can use tells you about dangers, pitfalls, risks, and shortcomings. The flights into “good news reporting” always struck me as nonsensical fluff. But maybe that’s just me.
On the other hand, some of the videos I watch on YouTube are rather good news with regard to human health. An example of this is the Shawn Baker podcast put out by the physician/surgeon (and world-class athlete) of the same name who talks to ordinary people who’ve found great personal benefit in changing their eating habits (mostly) to meats. One of these people is Mimi Morgan, and the interview is here:
I’ve given everyone a long break from my diet obsession, but there are times I just feel the irrepressible urge to share some of these stories, and so today I didn’t repress it.
If you could improve your health, shed your ailments, and simultaneously kick your meds just by changing your diet, that would be very good news indeed.
Fearless Leader wrote: "For news to be newsworthy in my book calls for it to be somewhat skeptical and to question claims made by advocates for this or that. In general, this means newsworthy news tends to be negative." I think the key words there are "in my book" meaning, in this case, his. I thank him for this disclaimer as it makes the point that we all choose our news, even the Gary Gnus of the world. "News you can use tells you about dangers, pitfalls, risks, and shortcomings. The flights into “good news reporting” always struck me as nonsensical fluff." I remind everyone that we can each define news as we wish and choose which news to view. In this time, in which so much "news" is decidedly negative, some positive inputs can be a good thing. As with his suggestion that changing our food diet might be a good idea if it means better physical health, I suggest that changing our "news" intake can improve our mental and emotional health which will likely manifest in our physical health, as well.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
Surely a story about people actually working together to solve a problem tells us something important about the world, something we need to know to just keep on keepin' on?
I think Josh's point has merit.