Author: Danielle Batist / Source: Positive News
When the impact of hearing near-constant bad news stories became a problem in her life, Jodie Jackson decided to delve deeper: why does the news emphasise what’s going wrong? After seven years researching the psychological impact of media, Jackson has written a book to help others become ‘conscious news consumers’.
In doing so, people can change the media, she believesWhy did you decide to research the impact that the news has on wellbeing?
I felt dread when the news would come on. I got to the point where I would turn it off in a near state of panic. It was a gradual progression that went from me being someone who watched the news daily to someone who could no longer stand it. I consider myself a rational person and I like to be informed about the issues of our time, but I realised my response to the news was no longer a rational one; it was very emotionally charged. It was a powerful sensation and one that I wanted to understand better, so I decided to go back to university and research what the news does to our sense of wellbeing.
Tired of divisive, scaremongering media?
Your research suggests that a majority of readers feel disempowered after consuming the news. Why is that a problem?
We may really care about a particular social problem but if we don’t feel empowered enough to be able to make a difference, we can end up feeling apathy. We accept the problem as inevitable and endless, rather than solvable and temporary. Considering that the main purpose of the news is to inform people in a way that empowers them, the excessive negative tone in the news is a barrier to this.
Your work also highlights that more positively framed news helps audiences to see what is possible. Why is that important?
Being aware…
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