Introduction
"If it bleeds, it leads." So goes the infamous refrain of the mainstream media. The bigger the tragedy, the greater the coverage. This utterly warped priority both reflects and shapes the values of the larger society.
This seminar looks at the socio-biological evolution of humans, and the nervous system we have developed, and why our physiology makes us such good receptors for bad news and such poor receptors for good news. It examines subtle cultural values that reinforce this tendency. For example, in the nineties, violent crime in America dropped precipitously, even while citizens' perception of the dangers of the world increased, based on increased crime reporting.
Finally, it shows how all outer change starts with inner change, and the key to a change in the outer reportage of society comes from a change in the consciousness of the individuals within that society.
The Media as Creators and Reflectors
The media are society's "stream of consciousness"; a reflection of the themes flowing through the social cortex. Yet the media focus relentlessly on negative news. There have been many attempts to shift this focus, from WGNN, the World Good News Network, in the late seventies, with which I was involved, to publications today like the Upbeat Times. Yet they've failed to make much of a dent in the slogan, "If it bleeds, it leads." In other words, the greater the tragedy, the bigger the news value. If the world were a human body, and the news media were the neurons, transmitting information around the body, we have a situation today in which pain messages are transmitted quickly and widely, whereas pleasure messages are ignored. How might this look different?
Trends in Consciousness
After introducing these themes, I have participants sit back, relax to some soothing music, and do a guided meditation in which they are asked to imagine a world in which both pain messages and pleasure messages are transmitted.
Once the meditation is complete, the discussion shifts to consciousness change. If the media are a reflection of our global consciousness, change in the media will come as change comes in consciousness. What are some of the trends in conscious change today, and how will they affect the media? I list a number of megatrends that will shape social awareness in the next decade, and paint a picture of what a responsible, ethical media community might look like in time.