It’s not just the media’s bias — although, as I confessed to Unexplainable’s Meradith Hoddinott, that’s undeniably a part of it. After nearly 25 years in journalism, I’ve learned that the press is fundamentally a watchdog, conditioned to bark loudest when things go wrong. But there’s also a deeper reason: our own negativity bias. Humans are hardwired to focus on threats, an evolutionary adaptation that once kept us alive on the savannah but now leaves us doomscrolling through headlines.
In the Unexplainable episode, Meredith and I explored this psychological quirk, highlighting stories of genuine progress that usually slip under the radar. Like this one: despite fears about rising crime, the murder rate in the US is potentially on track to hit historic lows. And despite the worsening effects of climate change and the proliferation of billion-dollar disasters, fewer people globally died from extreme weather in the first half of 2025 than in any comparable period on record.
Why spotlight developments like these, which can feel like the opposite of news? Because focusing only on what’s broken can blind us to what’s fixable. Realistic optimism isn’t naïve; it’s necessary. It fuels the belief that problems, even enormous ones, are solvable, which in turn inspires action. And, as I’ve discovered writing the Good News newsletter, this optimism can act like armor, helping us face a challenging, sometimes frightening future with greater resilience.
It’s why Good News felt like a natural outgrowth of our work here at Future Perfect, where above all we want to capture an accurate view of the world as it is — the bad and the good. So, give the episode a listen — you’ll hear us break down the science of negativity and the underappreciated power of hope. And, of course, subscribe to Good News.
