Cyberweave: Going on a “Good News Diet” for the New Year

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By Mary Montgomery

I made my New Year’s Resolution early this year. It started right after the election when I decided to pull both myself and my readers out of the depths of fear and depression with my December CyberWeave column, “Five Steps to Upgrade Your Attitude.” Then I decided to go on a “Good News Diet,” focusing on the wealth of positive news in the world. That doesn’t mean that I’m sticking my head in the ground. I am, after all, a proud wearer of the Safety Pin symbol, and a member of Pantsuit Nation. However, I’m keeping the negatives to a minimum by going on a “low, bad, and ugly news diet.”

I got this brainstorm when I was introduced to the Good News app via posts I was seeing on Facebook. I downloaded the app, and now I get five good news stories every day. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can get your daily good news dose at goodnewsnetwork.org, or you can sign up to receive the top 10 stories each week via email.

These stories make me realize that there’s a heck of a lot of positive news in the world that’s underreported in mainstream media. Here are two examples:

A Hopeful Message From Good News Network On the Morning After Elections: This article points out that many terrible things have happened since Good News Network was first published 19 years ago: 9/11, the Wall Street crash and the terrible recession that followed, bombings in the world’s greatest cities. The message of hope is this: “But if there is one thing that has been–and will always be true, it’s that you’re not alone… remember there is always renewal—as sure as spring follows winter… Every day, Good News Network will labor to bring you positive stories about people working to eliminate poverty and cruelty, making a difference with their kindness and love.”

Alaska Airlines Makes History With First Bio-Fueled Commercial Flight: One of the fears is about those in power who reject the science on climate change. The Alaska Airlines story, published on November 15, 2016, is just one of several stories showing that great progress is actually being made on this issue. Good News stories also contain links to related articles. In this case the link was: “Costa Rica Has Been Powered Only By Renewable Energy For 122 Days.”

The Good News app is not the only nourishment you can savor. There is actually a wealth of good news sources out there. Other apps include: Uplift (upliftconnect.com), Greater 24 (.com), and Faith in Humanity Restored (faithinhumanityr.tumblr.com). Other website examples are: ourbetterworld.org, bringinghopehome.org, and positive.news. If you look under the heap of negative news at some mainstream media sites, you can also find a lot of positive stuff. Check out the positive news sections at Huffington Post, abc.go.com, and the Microsoft Network (msn.com). Podcasts also can be a good source for positive news. A personal favorite of mine is National Public Radio’s TED Radio Hour, NPR.org.

My Advice: Join me and go on a Good News Diet for the New Year. Download those apps and subscribe to those email newsletters. Make sure you boost their brands by giving them great reviews at the App store, or for their podcasts. You don’t have to stick your head in the ground, either. Just make sure the rest of your diet is low-negative news. If you’ve got any other good news resources, please let me know about them.

Mary Montgomery’s company, Montgomery Media Enterprises, specializes in public relations, writing projects, and social media development, especially in the non-profit sector. Ms. Montgomery has a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS). She has completed the coursework in doctoral studies with a focus on Altruism and Unconditional Love. Contact her via email at: [email protected]. Please use Cyberweave in the subject line.