Constructive Journalism is a new and emerging domain contradicting traditional journalism. A book called From Mirrors To Movers provides excellent insight into how beneficial innovative journalism views can be. The meaning of the book title is questioning the belief that journalism mirrors terrible events. However, when you witness bad news on television, I tend to lose hope even though journalists/reporters are trying to inform and help the world around them. The author of the book, Catherine Gyldensted, clarifies that journalists move the world around them. As seen in the example above, they typically make people lose hope, impacting people negatively. However, constructive journalism shows to improve human populations and give people positive outlooks in daily life.
The book wants fields of positive psychology, moral psychology, and neuroscience to enhance journalism. The author explains the first time she used what she now calls “constructive journalism,” by remembering an interview, she had to gain more information on the bank recession. She asked questions about how she moved on, who helped her, what she learned, and how she plans to recover from the impoverished state. The interviewee showed enthusiasm and gave a much more insightful response than what she would have received if the journalist asked standard questions. The author could depict how people cope with adversity instead of being in a state of hopelessness. Then instead of illustrating the interviewee as a victim and forcing her to believe that she could not recover, she explains how she adapted to the situation, giving hope to the general public.
Traditional Journalism provides inaccurate and distorted views of the world by not explaining its positives from negative experiences. People always say that we need to hit rock bottom before climbing to the top because true change/growth occurs in these circumstances. There are several reporter/news agencies adopting constructive journalism. They find increased participation of the public, increased viewing from the people, and encourage others to change their society. Traditional psychology went through the same sort of transformation by creating positive psychology to enhance wellbeing. It is essential to understand the negatives, the reality of the situation, and how to help the human population positively.
While current journalism believes they speak with a neutral point of view, it is the exact opposite. If we only know about the disease model of the world, people will search for wrongs in the world because that is a developed habit. Going back to the ideas of helplessness, the portrayal of ongoing adverse events generates that feeling of anxiety and explains why many people avoid current affairs. Journalism needs to change because more and more people avoid learning about the present. When people have more positive emotions than negative ones, it broadens their awareness. It makes people more open to learning about their situation and developing ways that enhance everybody. Instead of wanting to stick to tradition, it would not be best to help people and increase news viewing.
Martin E Seligman believes in perspective: focus on a future-oriented view instead of the past and present. By providing solutions instead of explaining the terrible state of a situation, people will be more open to listening to news and being a united force that induces change. Many organizations have correspondents dedicated to reporting people who bring about change and documenting how the world is evolving. With explanations of positive change, it encourages people to join the movement and create positives in the world. I believe it is time that positive psychology and its emphasis on individuals’ well-being integrates into all aspects of society. Without positive psychology methods and the idea of positive emotions, I do not know how I would have dealt with the adversities in my life, displaying the importance of the change.
In short, constructive journalism adds a solution-oriented framing of the news giving people hope and explaining how meaningful their involvement in the society can be (giving people more meaning in their lives). It conveys a productive perspective about the future and emphasizes each individual (allowing for more accomplishments of people in society). The new journalism is critical of humanity but never cynical (allowing for less negative emotions providing a foundation for positive emotions and meaningful relationships). Also, constructive journalism offers a full view of current events globally (allowing people to be more engaged with the news and enhancing society). My blog touches the surface of constructive journalism, and I encourage you to spend more time researching this area and incorporate it into your life. In the following blogs, I will provide examples of constructive journalist organizations moving the world positively.
In the current state of the world, the awareness of constructive journalism and the organization utilizing these methods provides me with so much hope. I hope people can stop being stubborn and make the change that the world needs.
