The power of the negative press

As you read this, I will be sunning myself on a Greek beach (again). For a week, I will be mercifully far away from the realities of life and the stress inducing reporting of British news and newspapers.

Don’t get me wrong, in many ways the British media and in particular the Beeb are the best in the world, but they do tend to take rather a pessimistic view of things and take great delight in reporting bad news.

In the few weeks before I left to come on holiday, as many column inches were given to what I think were four very tragic deaths by drowning in English rivers and around the coast as to the whole of Team GB’s Paralympic victories, or so it seemed (but then I don’t even bother to open the back pages of the newspaper, so may be I am wrong).

I won’t miss being away from reality at all. I always hate it when you get on the plane to come home and they give you an English newspaper (don’t sell you one, mind, but give them away). That doesn’t happen with the budget airlines that have to watch every penny, which is another reason for using them since once I open the Daily Mail or the Times I can feel my stress levels rising and my impatience growing.

A little while ago I was blogging about why people feel so negative today and want to get away from it all for a fresh start, and I do think that the press must take their share of the blame here. They drag you down, because bad news sells papers. Their justification about some bits of scandalous or negative reporting (“It’s in the public interest” or “we have a right to know”) is just nonsense. They are in business to make a profit, and as I said bad news sells papers. By and large sensationalism turns us all into voyeurs by proxy, whereas a good news story about success or someone doing a good deed just makes a lot of people sneer.

Yes, sneer! There seems to be a real downer on kindness, which has always been a much undervalued trait, and positive news reports. The euphoria which surrounded big good news stories such as the wedding of Wills and Kate in 2011 or the Olympics doesn’t reflect itself in smaller good news stories like children getting the care they need or a kind person helping an injured animal. Those sorts of things just aren’t juicy enough to sustain our interest.

There’s also something in the British psyche which rejoices in the misfortunes of others. It’s a most unattractive trait, and one we should do our utmost to quash. ‘Serves them right’ or ‘told you so’ are phrases which I used to hear my mother parrot on numerous occasions with extreme relish. As a child I didn’t think anything of it, but now as an adult I realise how unkind and uncaring she was when she said this with such enjoyment. There is nothing good to be had rejoicing at others’ bad luck and nothing commendable about it.

I have learned through my own situations in life not to judge others. I have suffered at the hands of unthinking, unkind and shallow individuals who have said unpleasant things about me and never stopped to consider that there are several sides to every story. Because of the distress this has caused me, I have learned valuable lessons and now never do this to others. Yes, I gossip, but I don’t judge.

And that is what is wrong with the newspapers and the media today. It’s not wrong to report, but it is wrong to report with such bias and strong judgement that your subjective opinion comes across as fact. People that read the Daily Mail and don’t take it with a pinch of salt ought to be ashamed of themselves, because it is one of the worst offenders of the lot. If there’s a bandwagon rolling, that paper will jump on it without hesitation, and it’s responsible for many of the biased and prejudiced opinions of middle England today.

So when I’m on holiday I never read a newspaper. I am trying to avoid it when I’m at home. As far as I am concerned, they are fit only for lining the dog’s toilet training tray!