founder of naked leader
And the Good News is…
Please add your comments at the bottom… many thanks.
Time to Read: 1 min 18 secs
Time to Listen : 2 mins
A majority of students – 2 in 3 – going to University this autumn in the UK are aware of how to manage their money.
WOW!
Of course, that is not how it was reported, which was:
1 in 3 students going to University this autumn in the UK are not aware of how to manage their money.
DISASTER!
Tip to the second group – go speak with 3 of your friends that are also going to University – chances are, 2 of them will be able to help you.
We all know that bad news sells. Surely though, there is enough of it around without making it up.
These days, it seems as if the news, weather and many other communications are spun with judgement and opinion over facts.
I was recently in Abu Dhabi, and opened up a newspaper,
I read the following headline:
“Closure of The Corniche Causes Delays”
Then, I read it again – I was wrong – I was so used to reading negative news in the world, my brain had misread a word – it did in fact, read:
“Closure of The Corniche Causes Diversions”
Brilliant
Letting us make up our minds what it means – “good” or “bad.”
So, next time you hear bad news ask yourself, could it have been reported in a different way?
How can you make points of view at work, communicate, share in a way that is positive, or at the very least simply factual, respecting others to form their own opinions?
With my love and best wishes
David
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Received by email…
Hi David,
It’s about time that I said that I think this is a really good newsletter.
I always read it. And I delete most.
Thank you.
Crikey, yes, the Daily Mail is an example of reporting things in a completely negative way, and yet I have just started reading the I Paper which is so different, when reporting exactly the same news! So true.
Very jolly article thank you :-). I am planning to do a rant on my blog about why it is that bad news sells newspapers and why do journalists focus on the negative? Would be interested to have your thoughts…
My theory (for which I have no evidence whatsoever BTW…) is that bad news is designed to ‘make us’ feel miserable so that we go comfort eating or shopping. What products do we buy to cheers ourselves up? The products advertised next to the bad news stories. Who pays the journalists’ wages? Advertisers. Go figure…
Meanwhile the traditional media now have to focus on opinion and judgement because real time social media means they are reporting yesterday’s news.
It is really encouraging that thanks to Twitter & blogging and sites like this, we can all be ‘citizen journalists’ so Rupert Murdoch and the Daily Mail are less & less powerful by the day. We can all help change the consciousness of the planet by boycotting the doom-mongers of Fleet Street and learning to change how we feel from the inside out instead of the outside in.
Best
D
I recently put some of my news consumption thoughts in a blog post. I have created a rule to avoid polluting my mind with negativity. I feel that the spin of most stories to the negative is lazy and sensationalizing to the point of numbing the compassion and empathy from us. Thus I use the rule of 3. http://lross-passionatelycurious.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-news-and-my-rule-of-3.html
As always, David your insight is wonderful to read. I always look forward to your newsletter.
Kind regards,
@thoughtsxlr
I agree, all doom and gloom in some publications and yet refreshingly good journalism in others.
Thank you all – anyone any thoughts re David Hare’s question? David
Putting a different spin on things is human nature and what journalists do.
For instance a school might come third in a poll of some kind and they might send through a press release crowing about the fact they are third in the country and proud of it.
A journalist might take this at face value.
Or, a good journalist takes the more objective view, some would say cynical, that actually, that particular school was top for the last three years and has now slipped to third.
So, do they go with the school’s happy clappy ‘we’re third’ angle or do they go with the impartial ‘school slips to third in rankings shock’ and ask why have they suddenly dropped. What has happened to make that happen?
It works both ways.
Journalists are cynical. but then so are the public, for instance when people read a newspaper, they are far more likely to pick up the phone to the paper and point out a spelling mistake than ring up and say ‘wow, that was a good story, thank you and well done.’
It’s just the way we are and journalists are no different.
A football fan will only see a foul committed by the other team’s players, not their own.
He will say the ref is doing a great job providing all the decisions are going his team’s way.
And he will blame the ref for not giving a penalty rather than blame his own number nine who has just missed three open goals.
Human nature.
Wow! Thank you Sohail for that. David
I’m an F1 fan. Some stories are just difficult to put a positive spin on.
Take Mclaren F1 team. Last 10 years, top two constructors, giant in the sport.
This year, 5th in the constructors, with a car that’s the equivalent of a Volkswagon polo up against a Porsche.
How do you report that positively?
‘Jenson Button had a brilliant 10th place in Monaco this week, despite finish 2 minutes behind the winner.’
Not quite right is it?
Or, hang on, you could say actually, because he is in a car that’s rubbish the fact he can get 10th place out of it is amazing!
Depends on your point of view but my point is, you can put whatever spin you want on it, at the end of the day, it’s just reporting on what is happening.
The messenger is not so much shot at as crucified for just delivering the story. When actually, it’s the club/organisation/team/business who need to address things in order for that story to be told properly.
Would a football manager ask a reporter to report more positively so that the people reading would believe in it? Of course not. The people make up their own minds.
So when a story is written, people aren’t influenced by it, no matter how written, they are intelligent enough to make up their own minds.
I know an employee at McLaren and they are not happy with how the season is gone.
Basically, it’s the car, not the drivers. They are only as good as the machinery and McLaren’s is not good enough this season.
Another great NL Week.