LETTER | Can we please have more 'pro-social' news?

LETTER | Pick up any mainstream and alternative news media and you’re sure to find on the main page breaking news leaning toward tragedies, political turmoil, and the darker aspects of human nature like racism and cruelty.

Bad news, scandals, violence, and the like are lucrative for the press due to the commercial imperative driving editorial decisions. With advertisement revenue and clicks being paramount, sensationalism and emotive headlines often take precedence as they draw in readers intrigued by anomalies.

However, advocates will look past the commercial interest and argue that reporting and foregrounding such news spotlight the dangers of the world and that journalists have a moral responsibility to document historically newsworthy instances and promote social changes.

Indeed, Émile Durkheim argued that the observance of antisocial acts compels people to gravitate toward what is considered moral and to think of creative pro-social solutions.

On the flip side, studies have shown that the more exposed we are to such news, it can incite public anger, rage, feelings of helplessness, paranoia, and suspicion toward others.

For instance, a study by Christine Otieno and colleagues (2013), shows that how news is framed can increase perceived risk and the strength of negative emotions among readers. Such news can prompt people to be on a prolonged state of high alert.

Compounding the fact that 30 percent of Malaysians are overweight, and a further 20 percent are obese (Wei Soon Pang et al 2024), these stressful feelings can trigger psychosomatic problems.

For some, catharsis is manifested in harmful ways such as road rage, unkindness toward others, or worse, vigilantism among people with unhinged tendencies who see their acts as justified in the face of perceived injustices.

What I am arguing here is that if we want hope, harmony, and humanity in a disorderly, disarrayed world, the news media must play the game differently.

How?

Here’s a thought experiment: Foreground news that highlights the genuine goodness of people and humanity. Show us how ordinary citizens exude upstanding morals and self-sacrificial love for others and become role models that everyone else, especially the young, can emulate. Here are some examples I can think of, coming from Malaysiakini:

• Chinese trader gives Tamil school unstinting support for last 30 years

• Ostracised, yet young animal lover risks all to rescue animals

• Power of social media: Teachers help Orang Asli sell 500kg of sweet potatoes

• ‘Treasured friendships, memories as only non-Malay in school’

• ‘I couldn’t afford breakfast so he shared his with me for 6 years’

While some of these stories may be tear-jerking, they showcase models of how we can treat each other well and help one another as good, decent human beings.

I am not arguing that we should remove scandalous, political news and the like. Rather, I am arguing that they should be “by-the-way” news. After all, do we need to empower the already-powerful politikus who divide the people with divisive rhetorics?

Just imagine: If they are given a small “by-the-way” space, it reduces their voice and influence.

Understandably, there are complications in execution and there are difficult questions to answer.

Among others, where would journalists find these stories from? Whose story is newsworthy and how are these determined? Who gets to define what is “pro-social” or not? Will some pro-social news be in conflict with journalism ethics?

But I think if we were to remember the big picture ie we want to cultivate a “happier” society that emphasises moral values of integrity, unity, tolerance, kindness, and empathy, we must have more stories that show us the way.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.