How to Turn a "Bad News Day" and Into a "Good News Day"

Oct. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- Today, Dr. Russ Buss takes on the topic of “pessimism in the news.”   He addresses the common complaint and question:  “Why is there so much pessimism in the news?”  People often say, “I don’t watch the news anymore because it is full of negative stories that bring me down.”  With these ten tips, he says it is possible to learn how to turn a “bad news” story into “good news.”  

A pessimistic news story not only describes a negative outcome, but leaves the impression that nothing can be done about the situation.  We are left feeling hopeless and helpless.  Additionally, the story tries to assign or find someone or something to blame fueling our anger without providing an outlet for constructive action.

An optimistic news story has ten key components that he describes below:

Ten Key Components of an Optimistic News Story

  1. Must describe a challenge or difficult situation;
  2. Must describe how effort is or was being applied to overcome the problem;
  3. Should focus on finding a solution to a problem and not the blame;
  4. Describes opportunities for learning to prevent the situation from happening again;
  5. Identifies new opportunities for personal growth, self- and/or organization and societal improvement;
  6. May not just be about a positive outcome or good deed without showing the underlying hard work that resulted in the outcome;
  7. May be about a negative outcome if there is a call to action for problem solving;
  8. Should show or provide an example of how to take recommended positive action;
  9. Should be inspirational to others by providing hope and sense of efficacy;
 10. Describes the collaboration between individuals, entities, programs and organizations that were needed to get the job done.

Dr. Russ Buss asks: Does a news story have to meet all of the above criteria to be considered optimistic?  No.  Minimally it has to meet criteria One and Two, and it must not have any of the pessimistic components associated with hopelessness, helplessness and blame assignment.

Dr. Russ Buss asks: Is a story about a positive outcome by definition optimistic? No.  The story must minimally describe the challenge and the effort required to overcome the difficulty.  Stories that just focus on the positive outcome without referencing the challenge and effort do not teach optimism.

Dr. Russ Buss asks: Am I at the mercy of the news media to write the optimistic news story? No. Using the criteria above you now have the power to look at any news story delivered via print, TV, Radio or Internet and rewrite the story yourself so that it meets the minimum optimistic news story criterion.

Ten Tips ("Bussters") to Rewrite and Make Your Own Optimism in the News

Dr. Russ Buss asks you to answer ten key questions. Each answer generated becomes your personal TIP - “Busster” to “Busst-Up”  - the pessimism you find in a news story and thus turn it into a “Good News” Story

  1. What is the underlying problem or challenge?
  2. What effortful strategies needed to solve the problem?
  3. What possible solutions can you think of? Who needs to do what, where and when to make something happen?
  4. What can be learned about preventing this problem in the future?
  5. What opportunities for self-improvement or societal change might there be in this situation?
  6. What kind of hard work is being demonstrated or is needed to solve the problem and accomplish the goal?
  7. What is the call to action?  What can you personally do to get involved?
  8. What detailed examples or role models of optimistic living can you take from the story?
  9. How can the story be written or told so that it serves as an inspiration that provides hope to those struggling with similar difficulties?
 10. What examples of collaboration and team work can you describe?

Remember:  A "Good News Day" is NOT about all the good things that happened in the day, but IS about all the EFFORT that was expended on good causes and positive goals.  We may not be able to eliminate poverty, misfortune, pestilence, disease, crime, accidents, and death but we can sure try to make a difference and SHOUT OUT ABOUT OUR EFFORTS!!!!!!

To learn why the Chilean Miner Rescue rates a 10 out of 10 for an optimistic "Good News" story click on the link: http://www.drrussbuss.com

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