For goodness’ sake, write some good news!!

Dear Aunty B

I am sure from talking to a lot of people that the principle factor at work at the moment in sending the economy south is the doom and gloom promoted by the media.

I know that the media thrive on bad news, but there are things happening in the economy that don’t merit the prophecies of doom that are becoming self-fulfilling.

If the media (including SmartCompany) could become more positive about a number of factors that are quite positive for the economy, instead of talking about horror years and financial crisis etc, the economy itself would not be suffering such a lack of consumer and business confidence.

This is a time for the media to talk positively about possibilities rather than to talk negatively about things that need not become certainties.

The media can do a lot to avert this crisis, but at the moment it is falling prey to its traditional preoccupation with thriving on bad news.

Start providing upbeat pieces of news each day. It might be a small drop in the ocean, but as Teihallrd de Chardin once said: “One act of love that makes the universe ripple, however slightly.”

LJ,
Melbourne

Dear LJ

We are journalists, not lovers – as I am sure our spouses would attest! So if we can’t see upbeat bits of news every day, what do you want us to do? Make it up??

Why does everyone blame the doom and gloom on the media! How about all those New York bankers that stuck us all in this mess in the first place? Why not go and bash them up and leave us alone?

But quite frankly we at SmartCompany want some cheering up as well! So how about this? Until the gloomy times come to an end, we’ll run Good News Friday.

Send in your good news and we’ll run it in a special Good News Friday section. What we want is your astute observations about the economy, your industry. Where can you see opportunities?

Who can you see that is really doing well? Send your suggestions to feedback@smartcompany.com.au.

Here is our first entry for Good News Friday from blogger Lou Coutts:

“The housing market in America is stabilising; the president elect is going to dramatically reduce the defence budget and apply the savings to domestic restructuring; the TED Spread is almost back to normal indicating that the credit crisis is past us; the Australian Government has billions to inject into the economy and is prepared to go into deficit (classically Keynesian formula for averting recessions) to maintain growth. If we don’t concentrate on these things but keep on being the harbingers of doom, then we are doomed and all of these good things won’t help.”

Keep them coming,

Your Aunty B