Stop Reading the News (At Least the Bad News): Executive Search Offers a More Balanced Story
As I referenced in our November Blog (see https://www.abelnmagy.com/blog/new-and-old-blending-timeless-leadership-skills-with-modern-realities), I recently had the privilege of speaking at a Vantage Executive & Career Services event. The title of the presentation was Stop Reading The News. The entire premise of the presentation was on how most of the news we consume seems to be negative. Ironically, the presentation was all based on news stories from the previous few months. The good news (no pun intended) was that this presentation talked about the articles we seem to have missed that actually contained good or ‘better’ news.
(Stop reading the news is indeed a theme for me this year. I have referenced it a few times in previous Blogs – and clearly want people to be more balanced in the way they look at the world around them. I can tell you that in the Retained Executive Search world, we see a positive year on the horizon.)
If It Bleeds, It Leads
I looked into the ‘why’ – why does it seem that the news is focused on the negative. There is actually a strong bias toward reporting bad or negative news – one could even say there is some sort of science to it.
While there is some anecdotal evidence that this statement – If It Bleeds, It Leads – was the rule of journalism (news reporting specifically) in the 19th and 20th centuries, the first documented use of the statement – where it gained notoriety – was in a 1989 article in New York Magazine, titled "Grins, Gore and Videotape: The Trouble with Local TV News". That article criticized local television news for its sensational focus on violence, tragedy, and sensational crime stories.
But Wait, There Is More
Human brains are wired for threats. From an evolutionary standpoint, we pay more attention to danger. Our ancestors survived by noticing threats more than pleasant things.
We as humans actually gravitate to bad news. Simply put, conflict and crisis draw more attention. Today, news outlets track which stories get the most clicks, views, and shares. Coverage that sparks emotion – fear, anger, outrage, shock – pulls in more engagement than feel-good stories.
Bad news is digestible. Good news is often complex. Or again, simply put, negativity is easier to describe quickly as there may be more of an emotional reaction. A catastrophe or crime is easy to headline. Positive change, progress, or improvement often takes more time, evidence, and context to explain. We commonly digest items in short ‘sound bites’ – complexity (good news) takes time.
Target Corporation Makes The News – So Did CommonDesign
October 28th was a tough day for Target Corporation. Everyone anticipated it – everyone knew what was going to happen. It had been covered extensively in the news for a few weeks. On the afternoon of October 28th, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ) published the following article:
- Target Workers Learn Layoff Fate
The second article from that same publication (on the same date) was not as widely read. It was:
- Architectural Firm Leases IDS Center Office, Plans To Hire Dozens
That firm was CommonDesign.
In my presentation to the Vantage group, everyone read (or was at least aware of) the Target article. No one was aware of the second article.
More Unnoticed Positive News – GN Group and Daikin Applied Americas
On December 2nd, one of the articles in the MSPBJ was:
- Hearing Aid Maker GN Group Expands in Shakopee, Plans To Add 100 Jobs
What was important about this article was buried within it – it listed some of the types of positions that would be added – logistics, engineering, sales, etc.
On December 9th (six days prior to the publication date of this Blog), the lead article in the MSPBJ was:
- Daikin Applied Americas Building $163 Million R&D Facility In Twin Cities
The article is worth finding and reading.
Let’s Look For Positives As We Move Toward 2026
In May of this year, I wrote a Blog on why optimism drives better outcomes than pessimism. As part of this, I want to encourage all of you to stop reading any article that contains the word ‘could’. On October 23rd (of this year), the Star Tribune had the following article:
- Pump prices could rise after US, EU hit Russian oil companies with new sanctions and oil spikes
Yet on December 10th, the news pointed out that pump prices on average (across the US) dropped below $3.00/gallon. The last time that happened – May, 2021.
What positive trends can we look for as we go into 2026?
- On November 21st, the MSPBJ published an article titled Why small-business owners believe 2026 could be a year of growth. The journal pointed out a few article highlights:
- 74% of small business owners expect revenue increases in 2026.
- Nearly 60% plan to expand their businesses.
- 61% say they are currently being impacted by labor shortages.
- On December 11th, a similar article appeared on Fox News. The title – Small business optimism rises, but owners say qualified workers are still hard to find. It references a NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) increase in the small business optimism index. From the article: “Although optimism increased, small business owners are still frustrated by the lack of qualified workers," said NFIB chief economist Bull Dunkelberg. "Despite this, more firms still plan to create new jobs in the near future.
- Generally speaking, many forecasts predict US GDP of around 2.2% for 2026. This is likely to be driven by easing fiscal/monetary policy and increased productivity. That said, even if growth slows, the economy is expected to avoid a sharp downturn which will give room for job opportunities and business expansion.
- Corporations and financial institutions seem poised for increased investment and deal-making. For instance, recent reporting suggests merger and acquisition activity may remain strong going into 2026 (they were strong in 2025), which often signals confidence among business leaders.
These trends (and others) generally mean more job opportunities and possible economic stability (compared to boom-bust cycles).
With that – as we move toward the end of 2025/the start of 2026, let me wish you all a wonderful holiday season and nothing but the best for 2026! (I predict a very positive year!)