Balancing Negative News with Positive News
Dennis AuBuchon
March 14, 2009
Today negative news is constantly in our faces and when this occurs many people develop a negative frame of mind. Granted there are reasons for concern in some cases. People are losing their jobs or have lost them and the negativity of the news reinforces their frame of mind. Today with the economic crisis there is going to be negative news but there are also positive news events that seem to get left behind for the most part. Some portions of the economy are doing quite well and this seems to get lost in the shuffle. Some businesses are even expanding.
Our country and many others are facing hard times but it would help if news organizations balanced their news with positive and negative events or stories. People do not need any help in today´s economy to have a feeling of frustration or negative thinking. Many individuals have lost their jobs or are about to do so and with this comes the need for encouragement that it will get better. People want to have an impression even though times are tough that the right efforts are being made to make things better. The positive aspects need to be based on actual data that shows some indication things are improving. Giving people false hope will only make things worse when they fall through. Granted there are aspects that appear to have improvement and then falter but this can be explained in a way to help people understand the circumstances.
Congress and state governments need to approach issues with restraint and not run up deficits in an attempt to turn the economy around. While individuals are cutting back on their spending having governments run deficits only hurts in the long run. Deficits need to be repaid and if the public feels that these deficits are making things worse and I believe there is some perception of this they may cut back on their spending even further. Money will have to come from somewhere and we as citizens will be paying the bill. Creating large debts that others will have to pay for in the future is not a way to bring confidence that the right decisions are being made.
We have elected our officials in Congress and each state legislature to provide the necessities that governments are required to provide. Money must be spent wisely and fiscal restraint must be put in place. This is how we can begin to have confidence in the Congress and each state government. Ratings have shown in the past that the public has little approval of how Congress in Washington, D.C. has been operating. This is not a criticism of any particular party as both must work together for the good of the country. Our elected government officials have had the practice of inserting earmarks in legislation needed to be passed. These rarely get discussed and voted on individually. Many have no relationship to the legislation to which they are attached. This must stop.
The practice of deficit spending and earmarks only provides news organizations with negative news to report. Government should give the media something to be positive about. One thing that could be a boom to this is getting government spending under control. While government is a big part in the perception the public has with their practices which have existed for years, they are not the only source of information or activity. Private industry is doing great in many segments despite the current economic downturn. This fact needs to be reported to help bring confidence back to the public. When people have confidence in the economy they spend their money and this helps to create jobs and demands for products and services companies produce.
I understand why President Obama signed the legislation to keep the government working but he will have to make hard decisions in the future if he is going to curtail the use of earmarks in Congress. Earmarks are not only present in federal legislation but it exists in state legislation as well. Any legislation that is processed must be discussed and voted on as to their need and justification in the present economic situation. The practice of earmarks while some may be worthwhile should be curtailed in this present economic environment. When things are going right and the right decisions are being made by our government officials, organizations who report the news need to provide this to give people hope. Hope is important in a world of financial crisis which is constantly reinforced by those reporting news events or actions by local, state and federal governments.
Before continuing this article is not meant to be a condemnation of all news organizations on the lack of balance in reporting news. Some news sources do make an effort to provide both positive and negative occurrences.
While unemployment is currently at a 25 year high as reports have indicated there are millions of individuals employed who have secure jobs in a tight economy. As mentioned before there are areas or segments of the economy that are doing great and even expanding. This activity should be conveyed to the public so those needing jobs can be aware of what is available. The negative news about the unemployment percentages and other issues needs to be turned around. While at last report the unemployment percentage is at an overall 8.1% in the country on the positive side it can be stated that there is just fewer than 92% employment.
News organizations and those that report or write on the issues need to put their perspective in better light. While some negative facts do need to be reported there are positive factors which also need to be discussed. Individuals who are involved in reporting the news or writing on various topics should provide better focus to insert some positive aspects not just the negative. In legislation that is enacted every day there are always going to be some questionable projects but at the same time there is some good that comes from the same legislation. When there are high topics of interest to the public both the positive and negative aspects of legislation need to be reported. This may be hard at times but I have found there is some good expenditure in many of the legislative acts processed at the state and federal legislatures. This does not seem to get as much exposure as the negative aspects such as the cost of the overall legislation.
We may not always agree on what our state and federal legislatures do but instead of looking at the negative aspects we need to look at the positive aspects of enacted legislation. There are times when the negative outweighs the positive and when this occurs legislation should be vetoed to prove a point whether it is from a state governor or the President. These individuals are there to run their respective governments and the country and when legislation does not measure up to their standards or meet the needs of the public they need to stand firm. When this starts occurring people will begin to have better faith in how the government is being run and that the checks and balance system is alive and well. The President and Governors of the individual states must sign legislation enacted by the respective legislatures. If these individuals take a stand they will force the applicable legislatures to take a second look at what they have done. If they override any veto and things are not well received the public will not be angry at the President and Governors, they will be angry at the legislatures for enacting the legislation over a veto.
The last point to make is that we all like to hear some positive news. Hearing or reading negative news puts us in a negative frame of mind unless we as individuals can look past the negative and focus on the positive. This is difficult in some cases. News organizations and those who write on news events or topics the public wants to hear needs to have some balance. I am not saying to ignore the negative news just make sure that it is not the only news reported. Our economy is strong and has bounced back numerous times. The qualities of our workforce and the technology we possess as a nation needs to be emphasized more by all those who report the news or write on various topics. This past week the stock market had a good week. I am not saying this is the start of the turnaround but it is a step in the right direction. We will have to see if this upturn in the stock market continues on a regular basis. I feel that one reason that this occurred is that there was some positive news about such organizations as Citigroup. The President and some of his economic advisors also put a positive spin on the future. The public liked what they heard. Positive conversations or news always puts a better perspective on the way individuals feel even when times are tough as they are now.
Our country and many others are facing hard times but it would help if news organizations balanced their news with positive and negative events or stories. People do not need any help in today´s economy to have a feeling of frustration or negative thinking. Many individuals have lost their jobs or are about to do so and with this comes the need for encouragement that it will get better. People want to have an impression even though times are tough that the right efforts are being made to make things better. The positive aspects need to be based on actual data that shows some indication things are improving. Giving people false hope will only make things worse when they fall through. Granted there are aspects that appear to have improvement and then falter but this can be explained in a way to help people understand the circumstances.
Congress and state governments need to approach issues with restraint and not run up deficits in an attempt to turn the economy around. While individuals are cutting back on their spending having governments run deficits only hurts in the long run. Deficits need to be repaid and if the public feels that these deficits are making things worse and I believe there is some perception of this they may cut back on their spending even further. Money will have to come from somewhere and we as citizens will be paying the bill. Creating large debts that others will have to pay for in the future is not a way to bring confidence that the right decisions are being made.
We have elected our officials in Congress and each state legislature to provide the necessities that governments are required to provide. Money must be spent wisely and fiscal restraint must be put in place. This is how we can begin to have confidence in the Congress and each state government. Ratings have shown in the past that the public has little approval of how Congress in Washington, D.C. has been operating. This is not a criticism of any particular party as both must work together for the good of the country. Our elected government officials have had the practice of inserting earmarks in legislation needed to be passed. These rarely get discussed and voted on individually. Many have no relationship to the legislation to which they are attached. This must stop.
The practice of deficit spending and earmarks only provides news organizations with negative news to report. Government should give the media something to be positive about. One thing that could be a boom to this is getting government spending under control. While government is a big part in the perception the public has with their practices which have existed for years, they are not the only source of information or activity. Private industry is doing great in many segments despite the current economic downturn. This fact needs to be reported to help bring confidence back to the public. When people have confidence in the economy they spend their money and this helps to create jobs and demands for products and services companies produce.
I understand why President Obama signed the legislation to keep the government working but he will have to make hard decisions in the future if he is going to curtail the use of earmarks in Congress. Earmarks are not only present in federal legislation but it exists in state legislation as well. Any legislation that is processed must be discussed and voted on as to their need and justification in the present economic situation. The practice of earmarks while some may be worthwhile should be curtailed in this present economic environment. When things are going right and the right decisions are being made by our government officials, organizations who report the news need to provide this to give people hope. Hope is important in a world of financial crisis which is constantly reinforced by those reporting news events or actions by local, state and federal governments.
Before continuing this article is not meant to be a condemnation of all news organizations on the lack of balance in reporting news. Some news sources do make an effort to provide both positive and negative occurrences.
While unemployment is currently at a 25 year high as reports have indicated there are millions of individuals employed who have secure jobs in a tight economy. As mentioned before there are areas or segments of the economy that are doing great and even expanding. This activity should be conveyed to the public so those needing jobs can be aware of what is available. The negative news about the unemployment percentages and other issues needs to be turned around. While at last report the unemployment percentage is at an overall 8.1% in the country on the positive side it can be stated that there is just fewer than 92% employment.
News organizations and those that report or write on the issues need to put their perspective in better light. While some negative facts do need to be reported there are positive factors which also need to be discussed. Individuals who are involved in reporting the news or writing on various topics should provide better focus to insert some positive aspects not just the negative. In legislation that is enacted every day there are always going to be some questionable projects but at the same time there is some good that comes from the same legislation. When there are high topics of interest to the public both the positive and negative aspects of legislation need to be reported. This may be hard at times but I have found there is some good expenditure in many of the legislative acts processed at the state and federal legislatures. This does not seem to get as much exposure as the negative aspects such as the cost of the overall legislation.
We may not always agree on what our state and federal legislatures do but instead of looking at the negative aspects we need to look at the positive aspects of enacted legislation. There are times when the negative outweighs the positive and when this occurs legislation should be vetoed to prove a point whether it is from a state governor or the President. These individuals are there to run their respective governments and the country and when legislation does not measure up to their standards or meet the needs of the public they need to stand firm. When this starts occurring people will begin to have better faith in how the government is being run and that the checks and balance system is alive and well. The President and Governors of the individual states must sign legislation enacted by the respective legislatures. If these individuals take a stand they will force the applicable legislatures to take a second look at what they have done. If they override any veto and things are not well received the public will not be angry at the President and Governors, they will be angry at the legislatures for enacting the legislation over a veto.
The last point to make is that we all like to hear some positive news. Hearing or reading negative news puts us in a negative frame of mind unless we as individuals can look past the negative and focus on the positive. This is difficult in some cases. News organizations and those who write on news events or topics the public wants to hear needs to have some balance. I am not saying to ignore the negative news just make sure that it is not the only news reported. Our economy is strong and has bounced back numerous times. The qualities of our workforce and the technology we possess as a nation needs to be emphasized more by all those who report the news or write on various topics. This past week the stock market had a good week. I am not saying this is the start of the turnaround but it is a step in the right direction. We will have to see if this upturn in the stock market continues on a regular basis. I feel that one reason that this occurred is that there was some positive news about such organizations as Citigroup. The President and some of his economic advisors also put a positive spin on the future. The public liked what they heard. Positive conversations or news always puts a better perspective on the way individuals feel even when times are tough as they are now.
Print
Email
