Why Does The News Media Equate "news" With "bad News"

[VHG]

It has seemed to me for a long time that the news media take great delights in focusing on bad news rather than just "news".

News does not always have to be about a person dying, or a crime being committed, or some other bad news.

You may get a train crash in India or China that kills 10 people, and it is featured heavily on the news.

But why do I need to know?

Does it affect me?, can I do anything about it?, would it matter if I did not know? Surely there is some good UK news they can tell me instead?

Today on the news they had a major feature about a young intern at Merrill Lynch dying from an epileptic fit.

While you do feel sorry for the family, and maybe it highlights that the company may have been working its interns too hard, surely this news item is only of interest to the man's family, and the company involved.

Why do I need to know?

Is there not GOOD news that they can tell me.

Why is "bad news" more newsworthy than "good news".

Why does it have to be a constant diet of bad news.

[bazwillrun]

I spent nearly twelve years at one of the red tops...if it bleeds it sells. ..is the mantra

[bazwillrun]

wasnt my mantra

i wasnt a journo there ! but was friends with most of the big names there so learnt all about what goes on in the world of "newspapers" and how underhand they are etc etc, hacking etc etc

[andy-hughes]

There is a phrase about a nation getting the press iot deserves -

the simple fact is, the media serve human nature, and they adapt and change with the changes that the public express.

That is why there is a massive industry dedicated to the utterly vacuous cult of 'celebrity' where people feature in newspapers simply because they are 'famous'. But they don't have to do anything to be 'famous', they just 'are' - and the volume of magazine and internet space devoted to such people amply demonstrates the huge interest in them.

There is not even the requirement to me an actor or a musician any more, simply having a 'famous' profile is enough. Fascinating.

But alongside that, is the requirement for people to hear about bad things, even when it is to their detrement.

I recall a psychologist talking just after 9/11 saying that the constant repetition of the images of the planes flying into the towers was simply not good for people and it should be stopped - I think he made a valid point.

As a culture, we appear to thrive on people less fortunate than ourselves, or people who are more fortunate for no apparentr reason.

There really is 'nowt so queer as folk'.

[FredPuli43]

There are two rules 1) If it bleeds, it sells 2) the further away similar events are, the less they sell. For all we know, families are being wiped out in car crashes in, say, Venezuela, China, or the US, all the time, but we don't read about them. But if that happens here, we do, at least locally.

[mikey4444]

I'm not sure what kind of world you would imagine that Britain is a part of, if all you saw was good news ? News is news, good and bad.

If you would make an argument against trivial news items, mostly about celebrities going about their trivial business, being continually featured...well I would be with you there.

[jno]

why do you need to know? Perhaps because one day you may get on a train in India. If you will not, then accept that others may do. Personally, I don't need to know any Premier League results; but I'm aware that others live for them and that media will devote time and effort to reporting them.

You might like this (both the story and the website)

http://positivenews.org.uk/2012/culture/media/8386/martyn-lewis-media-report-solutions/

[Zeuhl]

It's human nature to take more interest in people succumbing to risk

It is probably hard wired as a safety measure (learn and avoid if possible) and/or a reassurance (and i thought my life was cr@p)

How many of us can honesty say we would earwig a conversation that was along the lines of:

"I saw X yesterday and they're all fine' happy getting on with life..."

just as much as one along the lines of:

"I saw X yesterday; you'll never guess the awful thing that's happened to them..."

[bundleone]

Whenever I hear people saying how awful everything is with murders, muggings, theft and allsorts, I always say you only hear the bad news and the great majority of the population is fine and law abiding. In my whole life I have only had one or two acts against me, one a purse stolen and once my car stolen, but think of all the cars and purses that have not been stolen in 70 years.

[pixie373]

I think a bit of both would be a better balance. I'm sure they used to finish the News on a positive story? They don't seem to bother now. I don't think it's particularly helpful to only hear the worst of people and saying"bad news sells" - yes it does, but have we ever tried anything different? It's been depressing as long as i can remember.

[anotheoldgit]

I think Zeuhl summed it up perfectly, it's all in our build up I'm afraid.