Episode #015 - English Learning for Curious Minds

Why Is All The News So Negative? And What If It Wasn't?

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Why is the news always full of disasters? What would the world be like if it wasn't?

Let's take a look at some of the theories about why the news is always so negative, and imagine what kind of world might exist if it wasn't.

In today's episode we cover:

What is the point of the news?

What is the role of journalism?

Who decides the news?

If it bleeds, it leads (and why bloody stories always come first)

Why are people attracted by negative stories?

News organisations as commercial entities

What negative news does to our brains

The Gandhi Thought Experiment

What if our news wasn't so negative? An introduction to solutions-based journalism

How to avoid the negative news cycle

Key vocabulary: Famine, Tuning in, Bleak, Commonplace, Untold, Accountable, Noble pursuit, Lead with, Editorial, Prominence, Prominence, Gravitate, Mortality, Gore, Gloating, Taken for granted, Captivate, Numerous, First and foremost, Eyeballs, Bursting your bubble, Revenue, Gravitating, Skewed, Mindset, Exposed to, Bombarded, Empathise, Bombardment, Perception, Perceived, Minuscule, Recalibrating, Anchoring, Implausible, Glued, Contradictory, Unwed, Back of our minds, Bushfires, Helpless, Advocating, Inspire, Uplift, Strike fear into, Optimistic, Fed up, News cycle, Retreat, Intake, Longer form, Fearmonger, Flicking through, Nutrition, Cut yourself off, Out of the loop, Outweighed, Freshness

Jodie Jackson's website: https://www.jodiejackson.com/

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Full transcript and key vocabulary available on the website www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/why-is-all-the-news-so-negative-and-what-if-it-wasnt

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More about Leonardo English and the English for Curious Minds podcast

Learning English shouldn't be boring. It should open your mind.

English Learning for Curious Minds is a podcast aimed at intermediate level English speakers and above, where listeners learn fascinating things about the world while learning English.

There's no small-talk, no boring grammar exercises or vocabulary drills.

You'll learn English by listening, by hearing real conversations and real English, spoken by native speakers, and at a speed you can understand.

Listeners can subscribe to Leonardo English to get a copy of the transcript and key vocabulary for every podcast.

It's English learning, but for curious minds.