What the News Cycle Is Teaching Communicators

Content calendars with an emotional twist.

“I just can’t watch the news anymore.”  How many of us have said this or heard a friend say this lately. Last Sunday, I read the New York Times from cover to cover and soon after realized I had slipped into the blues. 

The news cycle today is filled with heart wrenching scenes from Ukraine, deaths of innocent people from local gun violence, dipping stock markets, unexpected floods and fires destroying homes, and endless politics bashing. And, then when you think you’ll get a pause from the harshness during a commercial break, we see visuals of dogs needing rescuing or requests for donations for children suffering from hunger. 

This is all real and important news for us to be aware of and listen to. But, it seems we are in emotional overload. Sad stories in our communities, in our country and in our world are weighing heavily on the hearts and minds of many of us, causing us to shut down and seek emotional breaks.  

If the news offered a breadth of more emotions, could we handle the heavier stories better? For example, if the story of a family waiting at the border in Ukraine was balanced with a story or a refugee family that had settled in the U.S., could we keep our engagement for longer?  Could we see a path forward? I am not a reporter, but I do wonder if, as humans we need positive stories to balance the negative ones.  

When thinking about the news stories at your school, do you have a content calendar that allows you to look at the balance of topics, grades, departments, voices…and emotion? A story about a students’ accomplishments will ignite pride. A progress update on the strategic plan will instill confidence. A reminder around COVID protocols may remind about responsibility and potentially spark a little fear. 

Emotional balancing can help communicators increase engagement and audience reach. Give it a try and let me know what the results are like!