In the modern digital age, news outlets often prioritize sensationalism by oversaturating real events and tragedy to capture attention from the public. From my perspective, I believe that this notion is proper for our society because the news can impact mental health and distort perception of reality.
As the current surplus of bad news has impacted a large number of citizens, one of the main negative effects is an increase in levels of anxiety and stress which are mostly unnecessary. People are being influenced by the news cycle that is shown daily on the media, so as news outlets keep highlighting negative events such as crime, disasters, or accidents, as important and helpful as it is for people to be aware of their surroundings, people tend to believe most of everything on social media, which is an overrepresentation of bad news written by the press. Events and topics in the news are often selected and worded to excite the greatest numbers of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emotionally loaded impressions of events rather than journalistic objectivity, making daily activities seem more dangerous than they are, even when the real risks are low. For instance, people may avoid activities such as traveling, becoming more cautious, and less willing to take risks even when these activities are generally safe. Bad news can negatively impact mental health, especially for young people, by creating a pessimistic outlook of the world and daily activities. Constant reports about crimes, accidents, and disasters may create needless fear and worry among the public. For example, people might avoid normal actions like traveling or going out at night, and exploring new opportunities will be decreased.
In conclusion, while it’s needed for people to stay informed, too much negative news can do more harm than good. It can make a person’s view of the world more dangerous than it really is, making them miss out on so many amazing activities. If the media reported news in a more balanced way, by putting a limit on the reporting of bad news, it would still inform people without making them feel unnecessarily worried or afraid.