by Audrey Levine

Created on: June 17, 2009

Journalists get a bad rap.

There is a chance I'm slightly biased being a journalist myself, but I think this is widely recognized as being true. The opinion that journalists are too pushy, always looking to expose trouble, to get in people's faces is consistently thrown out through other forms of media, and I remember wondering while I was studying journalism in college, "Am I really about to join one of the most hated professions?"

Well, maybe I did, and I'm prepared for that, and I can even say I understand why people believe journalists favor bad over good news. It's true that on television, drama keeps viewers, and it also sells newspapers, that's all understood. As the old saying goes, "If it bleeds, it leads." But I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that all mainstream media favors bad over good news, and I think the issue cannot be understood without looking at the different forms of media available.

Each medium has its own goals in reporting the news. Television news may favor bad news, I can agree to that, especially because these programs are looking to garner ratings. And that's understandable because - with a mixture of world, local and entertainment news - producers are catering to a different audience than, say, the local newspapers. And because of the audience especially, I think it is unfair to assume that all journalists favor bad news.

I work for a local newspaper. I am responsible for covering the municipal beat in two specific communities, reporting the news whether it be good or bad. The section above the fold on our newspaper is always reserved for the biggest story of the week, from a budget introduction to the appointment of a new superintendent. Whatever we think readers need to know right away is the most important regardless of the tone of the piece itself. Over the past two years, I have reported on property acquisitions, community award winners, business openings, and lawsuits, among others - and these are just the stories that appear on the front page, meant to grab the readers' immediate attention.

This is why I believe the old saying of "If it bleeds, it leads" does not necessarily apply to the local news arena. For example, for several weeks straight, I wrote a column about local dance studios, art programs and other classes related to the arts. This piece appeared on the front page because it was an exciting feature about a local opportunity, with student input and action pictures. I think we can consider this to be good news.

Unfortunately, even in local newspapers, the bad news is expected from journalists. About two years ago, my co-worker wrote an education piece about some of the local schools failing to be proficient under state standards. Because this was important news for residents to know, the article was printed in the paper. Several days later, a representative with the district called the newspaper to complain, saying we only print the bad news, never the good. This was discouraging because it seemed to ignore previous articles on graduations, events and awards in the school system - the complaint only focused on the one bit of bad news that we, as the local media source, felt obligated to print out of respect for our readers.

I understand there is no way to change people's minds about the intents of journalists and whether they really do favor bad over good news. However, I believe that making that general statement is unfair to the scores of media types simply trying to report the news as it comes, good or bad.

For most journalists, the goal is to inform the public - I wish it was understood that that can mean only sometimes putting on a happy face.

Learn more about this author, Audrey Levine.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.