Weeks ago I gave up trying to keep up with the news. This COVID-19 pandemic was only fueling my news-junky fears and causing me to spin into a cycle of paranoia, depression, and a dependency on my newsfeed that is anything but healthy. So I stopped. And it felt great.
As it turns out, no news really is good news.
…but after a while, one does want to learn something. So I went on a quest to find truly good news. And here are some go to places of mine I’d like to share.
TED
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, but everyone knows them as TED. They’re not exactly a news organization so the “good news” label doesn’t quite apply here. But, they do have good content. Their goal is to provide content by experts so you can learn more about their field or mission. Their slogan is “ideas worth spreading.” Here are some of what you can learn:
- The mental health benefits of of storytelling for health care workers
- Why we need strangeness
- What really happens to the plastic you throw away
Good News Network
The Good News Network (GNN) has an archive with over 21,000 articles of good news. They exist is to bring balance to the media that presents an inflated sense of fear and danger in a world that isn’t so terrible.
They add new posts from all around the world every day. Here are some of the stories you’ll find there:
- 15-Year-old Karate Expert Teaches Moves to Seniors – and the Results Are Pure Gold
- ‘Gollum’ Actor Andy Serkis Plans a Live Reading of ‘The Hobbit’ –There And Back Again– Friday For Charity
- Breakthrough For Kenyan Scientists Who Discover Natural Microbe That Completely Stops Malaria in Mosquitoes
Moz News Beat
The Moz News Beat is a weekly post on Mozilla’s blog that features stories and news worthy of your attention found across the internet. If you’re not familiar with Mozilla, they are the non-profit working to make the internet safer and which a huge focus on protecting your privacy. They are the team behind the FireFox browser among other technologies to keep you safe and aware out there.
Here’s what you find in one of their curated Moz News Beats:
- Love Letters (from Twitter)
- Forecast Good Doggo (from Country Living)
- Potter Reading Potter (from BBC)
The Good Newsletter
The Good Newsletter is brought to you by Good Good Good. You can subscribe via email or purchase a paper subscription. They are for profit, but they’re mission is to provide good news to offset all the other news clambering for your attention. Take a look at some of the recent news they’ve pushed:
- Six inmates who saved guard’s life rewarded with shorter sentences (from CBS)
- Irish people help raise $1.8 million for Native American tribe badly affected by COVID-19 as payback for a $150 donation by the Choctaw tribe in 1847 during the Irish Potato famine (from The Irish Independent)
Neighborhood or Other Local Newspaper
Our neighborhood newspaper is called The Porch Press. Your local paper is the best for good news because you learn about what is going on immediately around you… and most of it is good stuff!
The Porch Press reports on local events, fun runs, and business openings. You learn how you can make a difference at the next community meeting. All the local organizations, scout troops, and schools all doing good things in the community are all written up in your local neighborhood. What news is gooder than that? Your local paper is no doubt very similar.
Where to get it?
That’s your challenge. It might be a physical newspaper and you’ll have to search to find where to subscribe. They might have a website. Or, and be careful here, it might be out there on social media. Just be careful not get caught up in all the surrounding news not worth your attention.
Feature Photo by Branden Harvey. Thanks Branden!
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