Keep the Good News Flowing

The good news is that good news seems to be a bit of a trend.

With Futerra's Branding Biodiversity paper concluding that people respond better to positive conservation stories rather than doom and gloom, and with Carl Safina's new PBS series highlighting ocean conservation successes, there is a lean toward good news that also engages and and raises awareness.

"We want viewers to see that all is not lost with the ocean environment, and by extension the global environment," said PBS producer John Angier. "Things can change and we can be smart with our world."

Most recently, Nancy Knowlton of the Smithsonian Institution took the positive approach.

“I look at marine conservation biologists as akin to the doctors of the ocean. And doctors don’t train just to write obituaries. They fill medical journals with stories of advances and successes," said Nancy Knowlton of the Smithsonian Institution, according to Discovery News.

 She recently headed a program called "Beyond the Obituaries: Success Stories in Marine Conservation" at the International Marine Conservation Congress.

Sure, the bad news -- the huge challenges to marine conservation -- must still be part of the whole picture. Otherwise, we may as well put on those rose-colored glasses and start skipping down the street. But please let's keep the good news flowing. It can do wonders.

Read more about marine conservation success.
Read more about PBS's Saving the Ocean.