The good, the bad and the ugly

The media takes a lot of criticism for only reporting the bad news. We hear it a lot that we bury the good news and focus only on the bad. I always like to believe news is news – good or bad. When I have a positive upbeat story to share – that's fun. When crime happens or a difficult issue is at hand, the chance to report on those situations gets my blood bubbling too. Does the bad news trump the good? Possibly. But I think it comes down to a line of responsibility. We could sugarcoat the news and only bring you happy, chipper stories of girl scouts helping firemen save cats from trees. But this is life and things aren't always rosy – sometimes bad things happen. As a newspaper, reporting on those items is part of a job too – a public responsibility. Do you think we find the balance? What do you want to see more of in the newspaper?