It's a common groan heard among people who get their information online and in print alike: News coverage is so sad and depressing because it grabs readers' attention.
Apparently journalists at the Christian Science Monitor feel the same way, and they're doing something about it with their new online news site, The Redirect.
Billed as "an antidote approach to news," The Redirect promises news stories that focus on the upside of data and trends, particularly about Islamaphobia and terrorism in the U.S. And they place the inspiration squarely on the direction of the news industry of late.
"Politicians and the media too often peddle fear of extremism. But their focus on problems doesn't tell the whole story," The Redirect's tagline reads. "Fight the fear. Share hope. Let's fix this together."
While its offerings are scant as yet most of the site's "stories" are little more than fact cards the Monitor's marketing chief Susan Hackney says she expects the Monitor's gamble will pay off if the public is truly craving more hope with its news.
A 2014 study out of Canada's McGill University found that while people overwhelmingly said they preferred "positive" stories and shunned the media's focus on "negative" stories, most chose to read stories about war, corruption or hipocrisy.
Either way, Hackney says The Redirect is a worthy experiment the same news and facts, with a different focus and tone that might attract more readers.
"This offers them data that suggests theres a more positive spin [on the news] and gives them ammunition for the kinds of conversations they want to have," Hackney told Nieman Journalism Lab.
Apparently journalists at the Christian Science Monitor feel the same way, and they're doing something about it with their new online news site, The Redirect.
Billed as "an antidote approach to news," The Redirect promises news stories that focus on the upside of data and trends, particularly about Islamaphobia and terrorism in the U.S. And they place the inspiration squarely on the direction of the news industry of late.
"Politicians and the media too often peddle fear of extremism. But their focus on problems doesn't tell the whole story," The Redirect's tagline reads. "Fight the fear. Share hope. Let's fix this together."
While its offerings are scant as yet most of the site's "stories" are little more than fact cards the Monitor's marketing chief Susan Hackney says she expects the Monitor's gamble will pay off if the public is truly craving more hope with its news.
A 2014 study out of Canada's McGill University found that while people overwhelmingly said they preferred "positive" stories and shunned the media's focus on "negative" stories, most chose to read stories about war, corruption or hipocrisy.
Either way, Hackney says The Redirect is a worthy experiment the same news and facts, with a different focus and tone that might attract more readers.
"This offers them data that suggests theres a more positive spin [on the news] and gives them ammunition for the kinds of conversations they want to have," Hackney told Nieman Journalism Lab.
