BETWEEN THE LINES: LIFE IS ABOUT TAKING THE GOOD NEWS WITH THE BAD

Heard any good news recently?

It seems newspapers and television broadcasts are filled with bad news lately: everything from serial killers on the loose to shootings and planned murders.

Last week, everyone I met seemed to be fed up with bad news, and it didn't matter if the story was local or national. I talked to one woman at a local Chinese restaurant who wanted to know why good news wasn't reported anymore.

I didn't have an answer.

What I like to believe is that reporters find the stories people most want to know about and then we tell those stories. What I actually said to her escapes my memory now, but I'm sure it wasn't a really great answer to the question.

Her question lingered in my mind. I started to think about what sort of news is reported and what I hear from people on the street.

What do readers really want to see most in their newspapers? How does what we report affect lives? Often reporters only learn about the effects of stories published or photographs printed when there are problems or corrections to be made. Often, we don't get much feedback.

It's not any sort of justification, but maybe more papers and TV newscasts are printing or airing those "bad news" stories because people are interested in the devastating events that happen to other people so that their own lives seem more balanced.

People like to be reassured their lives aren't really that bad. It's so much easier to find that reassurance when we watch the news and see someone cleaning up the shreds of their home left after a fire, tornado or flood. It makes us feel better; we sigh with relief that it didn't happen to us.

But when I took a second look at the tragic stories, I read in my own newspaper, I realized they weren't all so tragic.

While flames billowed inside a Jackson apartment building, one woman went around trying to rouse her neighbors. Her heroic efforts actually helped save several lives. Sure the fire destroyed the building and claimed a man's life, but Lynda Cunningham should be commended for her efforts. She turned a tragedy into an epic tale of triumph.

Even more recently, while divers searched an area lake for the body of a 23-year-old man, members of his church were trying to see answers through prayer. Many knew that they would get comfort from God.

Perhaps all this bad news can have a good effect on the community.

If people read the news, maybe they will realize all the world's troubles won't be erased overnight. But with some community effort and caring, people could join together to make a difference.

If we aren't the ones making life change for the better, who will?

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.