Does it seem like there’s no good news lately? The news is filled with stories of disasters, war, violence, political turmoil, inflation, road rage, and oppressive heat waves. You can be forgiven if it’s sometimes a little hard to stay positive.
Good news! We’ve found four initiatives/websites that focus on the positive. We hope they will inspire you and help renew your faith in your fellow humans. Oh, and dogs, too!
The Good New Movement
The Good News Movement delights more than 5 million followers on Instagram with brief heartwarming and inspirational stories that highlight kindness, generosity, courage, and more. Founded by Boston Globe journalist Michelle Figuero, you can also check out her “good news only” YouTube account. She also has a children’s book called “A Good Thing Happened Today.” Read an interview with Michelle in which she talks about why she decided to start a news organization focused on sharing exclusively good news and the importance of packaging these stories for young kids.
Reasons to be Cheerful
Reasons to be Cheerful describes itself as “a nonprofit online magazine that is tonic for tumultuous times.” It was founded by artist and musician David Byrne of Talking Heads fame. It features global stories on culture, justice, health, economy, civic engagement and more. Here is how the site purpose is described:
We tell stories that reveal that there are, in fact, a surprising number of reasons to feel cheerful. Many of these reasons come in the form of smart, proven, replicable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Through sharp reporting, our stories balance a sense of healthy optimism with journalistic rigor, and find cause for hope. We are part magazine, part therapy session, part blueprint for a better world.
Good Dogs Only
WeRateDogs is a You Tube account that offers brief weekly compilations of the top dogs of the week. Spoiler alert: all the dogs that are rated get high marks. Matt Nelson is the founder and creator of the popular social media account. He started on Twitter in 2015 and now you can find the account on several social media channels. Matt has never met a dog he doesn’t like, and he highlights the Top 5 every week. What started out as an online hobby evolved into a business and a nonprofit dedicated to helping dogs. Learn how WeRateDogs became the internet’s most wholesome powerhouse.
Infectious Generosity
Chris Anderson has been the head of TED since 2002. He focuses his 2023 Ted Talk on Infectious Generosity – see the video below. Anderson believes we should harness the internet to supercharge small acts of kindness to change lives. He talks about how to cultivate a generous mindset — with or without giving money — and how to use tools to amplify your impact. He cites examples, and you can also visit his site for more stories of Infectious Generosity,
TED began as a technology conference in the 1980s, but is best known for the viral Ted Talks, presented at annual conferences featuring entrepreneurs, business leaders, civic leaders, creators, and various inspirational people. With a tagline of “Ideas Change Everything, ” Ted Talks are short, powerful presentations designed to spread ideas. We’ve shared many here on this blog.