News

What if the sky was not falling? What if all the hysterical calls for the end of everything was a bid for ratings, views, clicks, likes … Well, it is, because most news media has to fight the most popular shows to get ratings and add revenue. It’s not the fault of the news media that more of us will click, or pause, or tune in for an alarmist, negative headline than for something positive. It started there with journalists having to fight for ratings, but then the internet happened. A place where every rumor can be repeated and become fact, even if the initial post was meant to be a joke, or sarcasm. Anything repeated often enough and loud enough must be true, right? But the internet is fighting for attention, too, and we are all more likely to tune in, click through, read a story that is dramatic and frightening, or sad. I do it, too. In fact I’ve started feeling so overwhelmed by all the ecological disasters that it felt like why bother to try and save anything the world is dying and we’re dying with it. But is it and are we?

What if things aren’t as bad as our internet feed makes it seem? What if there is a lot more Hope than most news sources can share without their ratings taking a hit?

Let’s start with the Amazon and the fires. First, most of the pictures online aren’t even of those fires? Why? Because the actual fire pictures weren’t dramatic enough to catch our attention, so someone grabbed a picture of the California forest fires, or fires in other parts the world. I don’t believe it was done maliciously, but one forest fire is like another, right? And it’s the kind of image that makes people pay attention. They were right about that, but here’s an article explaining why the picture that’s being shared most is one that’s already put out and in a different part of the world. Let a leading expert on the rain forests share some hope with you, because I know I needed some.