By Bronwen K. Bradshaw 

Features Writer 

Image credit: zharate1/depositphotos.com 

Why are we, as Americans, addicted to media coverage of violence and corruption? We can’t turn on the news or scroll through X without stumbling upon a horrific event. These stories are often stressful, so why do we continue to watch them? Why is bad news considered good news in terms of popularity?    

Many journalists mention the term negative bias in connection with people addicted to consuming bad news. Negative bias is the psychological curiosity for bad or horrific news. That phenomenon contributes to feeling like every headline in today’s media pertains to something awful. You can’t watch the news without seeing terrible earthquakes, war, or other sensational stories about people facing adverse circumstances. Humans pay more attention to bad things than good, which helps explain why negative news and media are so popular.   

As Tom Stafford explains in a BBC article, researchers Marc Trussler and Stuart Soroka conducted an experiment asking participants to choose news articles to read on a media website. The participants answered questions about what news they preferred to consume. Most participants said they enjoyed positive news stories and that the news focuses too much on the negative. However, after the experiment, Trussler and Soroka discovered that most participants had selected more negative news than positive news. Of course, we love good news, but that perspective does not negate the fact that concern over bad news dramatically influences the media we choose.   

According to a ScienceLine article by Eric R. Olson, Washington Post blogger Shankar Vedantam relied on a 2003 study of front-page news headlines from the 1700s to 2001 to confirm that sensational stories of negative events dominated front pages regardless of the time.   

News and media outlets have adapted to this negative bias when producing content for their newspapers and television programs. This focus, which draws in viewers and readers, consequently earns outlets more money and relevance. Leeja Miller discusses in a video essay the idea that many journalists write cynical articles for credibility and visibility. Miller says, “The cynicism that goes along with [news] tends to play on our inherent negativity bias while also effectively selling books and newspapers and getting clicks and views.”   

Miller also discusses the nature of consumers and how their confirmation bias perpetuates the growing influx of negative media. Confirmation bias is the information an individual uses to reinforce their beliefs. The more negative information you consume, the more cynical your worldview becomes, and the more likely you are to seek out more negative news media to continue confirming your cynicism.   

Even though many consider bad news the most popular form of media, some have developed a disdain for the constant cycle of negative information. Journalists can combat this feeling by exploring more positive stories or providing good along with the bad so as not to distort people’s perspectives that reality is primarily negative. As media consumers, we are responsible for getting the whole picture of a story and not focusing our attention on the bleak aspects of our society. The world is messed up, but there is also a lot of good.   

I have some good news for you. According to the Washington Post, scientists have made a breakthrough that could help save the northern white rhino by successfully transferring a rhino embryo. With this success, scientists have high hopes of eventually saving the species from extinction. The world is good—you might just have to look deeper to see it.   

A white rhino fetus. Photo credit: The Guardian