Turn Off the Negativity

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Comment by Jeff Bowe on March 14, 2009 at 2:59pm

Steve,
The NYT is going bankrupt, yes, because of people voting with their dollars but more so because of changing times and a company which did not respond fast enough. The economy is a function of belief, from the oil speculators who not long ago felt $5 gas was soon to be a bargain, to the struggling mom who decides it is OK to buy a special dessert for tomorrow's family dinner. The problem is the media will not let people make unbiased objective decisions because they do not provide both types of stories. Absolutely, some industries are in trouble, and the Invisible Hand will shake those industries out. At the same time, other businesses are hiring and growing. I listened to two clients this week talk about record sales when four months ago they were singing the blues. What did they do different? Ignored the tainted news of despair and went out and looked for business like it was there--and found it.

Like it or not, the media feeds on uninformed and misinformed viewers, who fail to do any additional research to see if the 18 second snippet is the whole truth. The sad fact is that newspapers always provided much more comprehensive news, but the American public was too lazy to invest the time to stay up to date. At one point I heard the entire spoken words of a news cast would take less written space than the front page of the New York Times. Sure the news channels have to create headlines and viewers, but what if for a change, they were unbiased and reported the whole story? That's all we are asking. If they don't, they deserve what the market will give them.

Comment by Steve Stuck on March 10, 2009 at 11:35am

@Ellen - With all due respect, voting with your dollars is already happening. Why do think the New York Times will probably go bankrupt this year? Why do you think savings rates are up 5%? Why do think investors are fleeing the US market to go to more friendly investments around the world? Why do you think books on inflation are skyrocketing due to our government flooding the market with dollars that have no backing?

Investing in proactive measure is too simplistic to promote that particular ideology. The economy is telling us something more than what most want to research about. So by people turning off the news or just stop listening to serious debate on the issues, they inturn are running away from the problems.

Comment by Ellen Dunnigan on March 10, 2009 at 11:06am

Exactly...our voices need to be used. Thanks Theresa for your insight. We'd love to hear your ideas on how this can be done with our voices.

In the meantime, a good first step is to vote with your dollars. Quit buying from their sponsors, quit paying for the paper, turn it off. Use that money constructively. Invest in a proactive measure.

Comment by Andrew Ball on March 10, 2009 at 10:55am

Theresia - good comment. I agree. Thanks for the input from one who's been there.

Comment by Lori Lowe on March 10, 2009 at 10:08am

Ellen, Nightly News is doing a "Making a Difference" segment each night. They apparently got thousands of good news stories within hours of making the request. Hopefully the positive feedback will encourage them to continue and broaden this approach! You can also see these stories online. I'm now getting news online so I can more easily filter what I see.

Comment by Theresia Whitfield on March 9, 2009 at 1:43pm

Don't hate me because I'm a journalist! Seriously... I worked for CNN in Washington, DC (among others) and know that indeed, if it bleeds, it leads. As a news and sports junkie, it has been hard for me to get out of that habit but I am doing it. I filter what I need so I can stay on top of things that are important and get involved where necessary. But I don't get so absorbed that I lose all hope for a future. I'll click through FoxNews.com and a few others to scan the headlines, and then move on.

To play devil's advocate, we can't simply turn off the news and hope the news media will get the hint that we want more positive stories. It won't work. Unfortunately, there is always going to be a segment of the population that will remain glued to news programs for their information, and unfortunately, they're getting snowed. Somehow, we need to communicate the message that the media isn't being entirely accurate. Somehow we need to hold them accountable. There are several outlets for that if you're interested but more still needs to be done. But just turning off the TV or throwing the newspaper away won't make them start doing positive stories. Our voice needs to be louder than silence.

Comment by Lisa M. Rettig, PHR on March 9, 2009 at 12:18pm

I totally agree with Ellen. The newcaster who asked for positive stories was Brian Williams from NBC and I read an article over the weekend that stated NBC can't even begin to open the emails or letters which they have received! My impression from the latest article was that they would incorporate one "feel good" story each evening which isn't even close to being enough!

Several years ago I stopped listening to the news each morning as I was getting ready for work. I realized I was driving to work each day with those negative thoughts running through my head. Who wants that negativity ruining the day before I even get started. Certainly not me, nor my employees! I am going to turn off the nightly news now and just read snippets of the local paper for my "just-right" dose of reality.

Thanks Ellen for your comments.

Comment by Lori Lowe on March 9, 2009 at 9:34am

Amen! I rarely read the papers anymore, which leads to to more available time to meet my goals and a more positive outlook. Brian Williams is doing one positive story a day on the Nightly News, I just saw a teaser this morning. The news media abide by the philosophy "If it bleeds, it leads," so it won't change until they lose a lot of readers/viewers.
Note to Kim Brand--YOU have a great business angle and you need to be pitching your story to local news! They may be looking for positive business success in this market, so take the opportunity to tell why you're succeeding in this market.

Comment by Al Barnett on March 8, 2009 at 5:48pm

I learnt a lesson in a long time ago about the news while serving in the military. They were not accurate then and wanted to portray the most negative possible and they still do. I haven't watched the news in eons. As far as I am concerned, report it accurately or don't say it at all. Time to chill as it fires me up. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Comment by Scott Emmett on March 8, 2009 at 5:00pm

I think I will look for the simpler things in life and let the news outlets wallow in their own self-importance. I cannot ignore the news. Well, I can't! I work for a Chevrolet and a Ford Dealer for pete's sake!! But I think I would rather focus on the news that edifies and builds up. There are simpler ways of doing things and I will focus on those instead of allowing the media to depress me. Somebody much smarter than me told me to develop a mantra to overcome whatever one faces. Wonder who said that, Ellen?

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