Positive News will pilot a seven-week listening project aimed at understanding the true values of individuals and their expectations from media, with the goal of fostering a healthier relationship with the world and its affairs.
Media organisations, on a daily basis, spotlight stories that revolve around politics, crime, war, and economic issues, usually framed in conflict, crisis, threat, division, or competition. These stories are vital, yet they do not encompass the entirety of our reality or represent the only perspective of the world.
The media’s focus can significantly affect the course of events and over time, influence what individuals perceive as important, what they believe others care about, and their sense of personal influence. Media coverage is never truly impartial, with decisions made on story selection, the voices that are amplified, and the narrative that is pushed. Yet, rarely are the underlying assumptions of these choices questioned.
Positive News aims to challenge this norm and is questioning what it would mean to create a media outlet more consciously centered around the values, needs, and lives of the people it serves. This has resulted in the inception of Positive News: What Next?, a seven-week listening project that seeks input from its audience and wider community to shape the future direction of Positive News.
As part of this initiative, Positive News is launching its first-ever values survey, based on Schwartz’s theory of basic human values. This theory, commonly utilized by social psychologists to understand what values individuals hold dearly, will be used to produce a personal values profile for each participant. This profile will offer insight into the principles and motivations that shape their worldview.
The concept of values-aware journalism is explored here, where the emphasis is on recognizing that all journalism mirrors values, and those chosen by media organisations play a significant role in shaping people’s sense of what matters in the world.
The project also aims to understand what people truly expect from journalism in an era characterized by low trust in media, an overwhelming influx of news, and a digital content landscape increasingly saturated with outrage, anxiety, distraction, and disinformation. The core question being asked is: does the media genuinely reflect what people care most about?
Traditional news culture often prioritizes competing values such as status, wealth, and power. However, research consistently shows that people generally place higher importance on values such as community, equality, connection, care for others, and the environment. Values-aware journalism strives to be more conscious and transparent about the principles guiding editorial choices and their subsequent impact.
This approach aligns closely with Positive News’ constructive journalism approach. The belief is that journalism can present a fuller picture of reality and empower individuals, not by ignoring problems, but by focusing on progress, solutions, and human potential. The goal, however, is to take these principles further.
Structured as a community benefit society, Positive News exists to serve the public not private shareholders. The next phase aims to build upon this by exploring how coverage can be more community-focused and rooted in shared values, going beyond traditional journalism to create an organization that truly serves the interests of its community.
For Positive News, it’s not enough to just report the news, even if it’s positive. The aim is to understand what makes news “newsworthy” or “positive” and what makes journalism truly useful. The plan is to engage in a genuine conversation, sharing learnings throughout the project, and ultimately publishing a full account of the feedback and how it’s shaping the future direction.
In essence, Positive News: What Next? is not simply asking what stories should be published. It’s asking: what does a media organisation that truly benefits its community look like? Your input could help shape the answer. Participate in the Positive News values survey today.
