No more wars and crises: in Nicole Seifert's new podcast there is only good news, but without sugarcoating everything.
One message is simply about cute pandas. Photo: Andy Rouse/Nature Image Library/imago
Climate crisis, war and disease. Negative news is everywhere and can damage our psyche. So much so that we try to avoid them. Researchers found this in a study for the journal in 2023. Plus one out of here. The solution: more good news. Nicole Diekmann, journalist and host of the new podcast “Hopeful News” wants to make this happen. In 45-minute episodes, every Sunday she discusses positive news with different guests.
Tobias Krell from Kika's show “Checker Tobi” is a guest in the first episode. They discuss why the dismissal letter from 50 companies in the debate on the supply chain law gives hope for climate protection. Another message is simply about cute pandas. Both impressively maintain the balance between serious discussions and light topics. Of course, humor cannot be missing in a format like this. Diekmann tells how his mobile phone melted in the toaster, but that will soon not be so bad because shopkeepers will have to take back the broken devices.
The podcast also promises “100% good news” in the coming weeks. Anyone who imagines this is a utopia will be disappointed. The negative aspects are not left out. When it comes to news about the growing panda population, Krell also talks about rainforest deforestation. “We don't want to pretend that there is only good news,” says Diekmann. But there are also hopeful and fun things.
But why is all this? To counter the right-wing agitation, one could simply sit in front of the television and watch a bit of “Good Times, Bad Times.” But if we want to convince people that the world is not just a bad place, then we need exactly this constructive counterpoint in information. “Positive news can alleviate negative news,” the researchers say.