I attribute it to the belief that journalists' job is to present "news" - usually as defined by their editor or whoever makes the decisions on what to cover. And we've probably all heard the old saw, mostly about local broadcast news, that "if it bleeds, it leads". (This is a major reason why I rarely watch local news anymore - and don't really miss it.)
The truth we can't get away from is that the news business is just that - a business. So what gets printed or broadcast is generally about things that are out of the ordinary - and unless it relates to something very exceptional, most good news doesn't fall into that category. It's all about attracting as many eyeballs as possible.
Unfortunately(?), it seems the burden falls on us as consumers to keep that perspective, which is tough to do. Regular reminders, like this annual column by Mr. Kristof, sure help, IMO! |
