Are you tired of all the depressing headlines every day about bombings, layoffs, and financial collapse? Sears sure is. Its “Life. Well Spent.” ad campaign just doesn’t work next to downbeat stories. What if there was a news site that only ran good news? Well, that wouldn’t really be a news site, but Sears decided to create one anyway in partnership with AOL News. It is called Good News Now, or GNN.
There you will find feel-good stories such as “Senior Couple Ties the Knot,” “Lucky Boy Discovers Seven-Leaf Clover,” and “Tourist Survives Dangerous Train Ride.” Topics you can explore further include “Heroes, Winners,” “Upbeat News,” and “More Good News.” You can barf now.
Of course, the whole site is plastered with ads from Sears. GNN is like a cross between a bad advertorial and a splog. It is what happens when you let advertisers select the news. If you need a reason to save journalism, this is it.
I don’t think I’ve “barfed” since 1984.
Erick
Why are you such a grumpy old man? If you don’t like happy news, then don’t read it. No one is forcing it down your throat.
Exactly. You can go barf you pessimistic loser. The only reason there’s nothing but bad news is because it sells. It grabs people’s attention and there is no better customer than a scared one.
Exactly. They aren’t pushing it down your throat. If you want to read some good news, go to the website and enjoy, otherwise just dont open it.
At least give them credit for trying something different in trying times (with advertising spending decreasing every uear).
And how is it damaging journalism? It is still reporting stories. Accurately. Its just that only a special set of stories are displayed on the website. And they aren’t hiding that fact.
Money Quote: “If you need a reason to save journalism, this is it.”
So true.
Seconded.
Thirded
Yeh this is not very good.
I wonder what else they want to push down people’s throats…
I think someone else has said this but why do we feel it’s OK for some to promote something and if we agree with it, we accept it. However, if we don’t like it, we now use terms like, “pushing it down their/my/our throats?” The visual of “pushing anything” down someone’s throat connotes someone sitting in a chair, hands tied, no, double tied with big ropes, big shining spotlight that beams light and heat at over 150 degrees and someone standing over you with a cigarette loosely caressing their lips and stating, in a German accent, “is it safe?”. Come on. Why are ideas, er, things that aren’t YOUR ideas pushing but, if you like them, they become acceptable. You are right about the need for journalism but it’s not to save us from the mean old Sears’ of the world but to not always promote ideas as fact or different ideologies as dangerous. A few bad apples don’t mean the whole bunch is bad, just like the Jackson 5 used to sing
.
And, as an aside, is it really that bad that someone wants to promote something “good”? I may think (and do) that this is corney and poorly done. But, the concept isn’t far fetched. Aren’t we tired of getting all of our news from the “supposed” unbiased major networks and large cable programs? If you don’t think that there is bias in media, you are sadly naive. I truly believe that much of our economic issues and woes are to be blamed nearly as much on how the media reports everything as “news” to a very naive audience, who are generally incapable of determining the depth and complexity of the issue being addressed by the slick haired, smooth talking news anchor. If they said it, it has to be true. Outside of the reality of job loss and scandalous scams, our media has to take it’s place or at least a share of the blame for the woes we face and the role they play in the perpetuation of perception into reality.
I for one am glad that the Gorilla News Network (http://gnn.tv/) is finally going big.
Good news everyone! “Young man outlines his ideas for a better America.”
http://www.gnn....p?id=27&n=1
Why do you have to be so negative about this? I understand the first joke “Hey, get ready to barf hurr hurr!” but I honestly think it’s just in bad taste to rail against this effort so hard.
If you’ve even watched the news in the past decade or three, or picked up a newspaper, then you understand the torrent of crap that fills our news media. Sometimes it’s nice to see good things happening in the world. I occasionally like to not lose faith in humanity, day in and day out, thanks to the “bad news” news that’s delivered to my doorstep at 5AM.
I get the inanity of it, but how is setting up a website “pushing down people’s throats?”
Because if you choose GNN as your “news source” that is all you get.
The operative phrase in your reply is “you choose.” Outside the bedroom, things are rarely pushed down one’s throat by choice. I’m just suggesting the headline is cynical to the point of being slightly misleading.
LOL
Yea, poor article.
It’s a service that is optional to view. Im pretty sure you chose not to make it your new source so where’s the beef?
hmm…
pot .. kettle… black…
“choose” being the operative word, not forced… numnuts.
Kinda like Twitter news are pushed down the throat of people who choose to read Techcrunch?
“Choose” and “pushing down people’s throats” are sort of opposites…
This is why I read tech and gadget news more then other news.
happynews.com has been doing this for quite a long time
Given Sears demographic, this is probably a really good fit.
And yeah, I am sick of hearing nothing but bad news and fear mongering from the news (and inevitable apocalyptic rendezvous via Discovery/History/Science channels).
So, imo, this might gain some traction.
This post reminds of a quote out of the Matrix. Why good news is bad, ” But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization.” Bring on some more bad news please!
What’s so bad about a site focused on good news? You have plenty of alternatives so I say “why not?”
That said, I doubt I’ll be visiting it again anytime soon and it certainly shouldn’t be anyones primary source of world news. I just hope most people can make the differentiation between entertainment news and serious news.
It’s fair and balanced. If you want Good News, you go to the Good News Network. If you want bad news, you go to CNN. There’s something about CNN that always publicizes “Missing Teen” on the front headline. I know they’re probably not the worst, but I notice it because they’re supposed to be reputable. Fires, missing children, homicides – it’s what makes the news these days. At least recently, we’ve had an uptick in the level of business and political news – you know, not fear mongering type stuff.
I think I’ll probably stick with Google News, it does a decent job pulling headlines for me as a cursory glance.
I prefer ONN.
cool concept i dont get the hate towards it. i actually like reading these type of good stories. like for example the cowboy in south dakota that just won the powerball lottery
Agreed. What is wrong with focusing on good news? All the other news sources focus on dramatic one liner stories … those are the networks you should be hating on.
Agreed.
Reporter Daryn Kagan already has that covered:
http://www.dary....com/index.html
Daryn Kagan does indeed have original hopeful news stories covered at DarynKagan.com. I’ve turned to and trusted this former CNN news anchor and journalist to deliver top quality inspirational stories for over two years now. SEARS and AOL are looking to cash in only by advertising their companies. Ick. Sorry, GNN.com will not enter into my browser.
Yeah, I really don’t get the hate. If someone chooses this, then what is the problem? If someone chooses GNN, then how exactly is it forced down their throats?
Much like the mainstream media, the choice of title here is designed to garner readers and give a false impression.
Actually, individuals would rather receive good news than bad news. This is a perfect advertising campaign – nothing but good. It seems that Schonfeld has lost touch of what the public desires. After all, look at the media campaign embellishing Obama’s administration? NBC, CBS, and ABC have all demonstrated that they refuse to report on any negative aspect of the Obama administration, and the political campaign has done wonders. Despite 70% of the nation disagreeing with Obama’s policies, he maintains a 60%+ approval rating.
I remember when GNN.com was AOLs version of no-frills dial-up internet access called Global Network Navigator. No clunky interface, just a straight up internet connection. It was free too for a while. That was back in ‘93-’94.
So if I get lucky which never happens…maybe it will be news.. or am I missing the point of the site.. and if I get lucky and announce it.. well most girls would firecracker me.. guess that wouldn’t make this site.. How fahrenheit 451.. lets just show people happy thoughts while corporations rob us blind..lol
WOW…
Did you really think I was mentally stable? They let the nutty into TC.. didn’t you hear about that girl who attached firecrackers to her mans.. sxephil youtube your daily source for the weird and whacky…
I’ve been barfing reading about twitter everyday on TC. Now this gives me one more reason to barf
Stupid Sears. Everyone knows that negative, sensational “journalism” trumps anything. Just ask Techcrunch.
ROFL =)
Nice one
Try this…read GNN.com at 4:30 PM, then hit up happy hour, get some action from the wife, read some GNN.com before bed, then come 4:30 PM the next day you’ll feel better than you would have if you read CNN.com and did the same routine.
…And you’ll have this strange desire to buy a drill or washer machine from Sears over the weekend.
Maybe GNN.com should have some Bob Marley or Jimmy Buffet playing in the background!
Great fit for Sears. Sears is now the sponsor of good news. Brilliant! Who ever thought of that is worth the money. Even if you don’t visit the site, we are still associated Sears with good news just by talking about it. …Or you could be the sponsor of blood, guts, kidnapping, drugs, sensationalism, war, negativity and more ugly realities on CNN and Fox, not that there is anything wrong with that. Hmm, I believe Sears made a great move.
Actually, Tonic at http://www.tonic.com does it best.
Daryn Kagan hosts the “Daily Tonic Minute” on tonic.com. A good match!
You know… I think you are being a bit harsh.
There is nothing wrong with good news, and nothing wrong at all with focusing on good news.
If you want to hear more about The War on Terror and other stories by CNN, you know what to do…
How GNN has fallen
http://en.wikip...twork_Navigator
Read it as ‘Good New Snow’. Much better than ‘Good News Now’.
That’s what I first saw and laughed at.
Really poorly written article. Who said AOL and Sears want to “push” this content down our throats? It’s a completely voluntary choice to visit their website.
While I agree it’s cheesy, at least they’re thinking outside of the box. You can’t argue that there’s a large demographic out there (mainly among the baby boomers) that would rather read good news than bad.
- Not from India
I’ll probably get jumped on for this but I don’t see this as an entirely bad *idea*. I think that we’ve all said we wanted to see more good news in the MSM. I think that, while not everyone’s cup of tea, there could be a market for this type of site (not that I’m calling up VCs for funding or anything
). However, the *execution* that implies “good news means Sears is good–buy from us” is *very* lame.
Is this a take on the Paul Harvey “friendly man” riff? I suggest that if folks are curious, go to thislife.org, and see if you can locate the episode, “the fridly man”.
Why is this a bad thing? Do you really enjoy reading about the latest rape, homicide, or suicide bombing?……. Seriously?
The overt commercialization is a bit fishy but, honestly, since when was good news a bad thing? And why do happy thoughts make people want to barf? I don’t get it.
Why not take this to its logical conclusion? Just replace the news headlines with a video of either puppies or kittens playing.
Oh… nothing against puppies, kittens, or stories about young boys helping old ladies. I just like my news to have variety, and to inform me of the big news and events.
Nothing is wrong with good news, guys– that is not the point. The point is that when you select only upbeat, happy pieces, whatever you are reporting no longer earns the designation of “news”. It’s fluff.
It’s NOT fluff if it’s a story of major importance to the nation or globe.
Just because it’s positive doesn’t make it fluff.
And it could be a little more than just ‘good’ news. It could be meaningful news. It could be ‘feel good and take action’ news. I am trying just to do that
PS: Next week is World Refugee Week.
Good news is great stuff. But from the tone of your article, I get the sense that liking good news isn’t very hip. For a second there, I thought I was back in high school, feeling the pressure not to admit liking something because it wouldn’t seem cool.
Now that I’m a grown-up, I really don’t mind being out-of-style, especially when it leaves me smiling, as I was after a few minutes on GNN.
Has Sears involvement in this project changed my view of them? Yes. But probably only to the same degree this article has changed my view of TechCrunch.
Thanks for the link,
Barfless in BC
Back in 1999-2000 I worked with Billy Zane (from Titanic) on a website called “Good News Now”. Here is a mini screen-shot from my old archives. I thought Billy owned this idea so I will be surprised to see what happens next or if Billy sold this idea/domain.
Check out this screen shot
http://www.medi...o.com/billy.png
There’s nothing wrong with a good news site but this stuff is so Pollyanna it creates an almost sinister Orwell meets Huxley feel. Talk about irony.
It’s just like food.
Do you want to eat a junk food diet that is unhealthy? That’s fine if you do, but if you want a balanced diet, then you will add the positive stories about great things happening in the world. You will know Iran is not all bad, the climate change problem is being addressed, businesses are doing the right things to help employees and Banks are paying back their bank bail-outs.
Check out the Good News Network, #1 on Google, and in its 12th year online. I’m the founder and editor and mine is the best site to find compelling positive NEWS that is not just fluff but a REAL reflection of human ingenuity, honesty and generosity. (And, definitely NOT sponsored by Sears!)
(I wondered whatever happened to the Billy Zane project, but the domain gnn.com AOL has owned for decades.)
I’m all fracken for it. The world is a depressing place to be depressed and haters need more fuel for their fires anyway. Ram it too ‘em!
hey – when the news is THIS depressing…it’s good to have a nice site that only focuses on the good…I love the concept!
Good news, everyone!
This is a GREAT idea. If you’re going to “barf”, maybe you could use a little more sunshine in your life, huh?
Come on, TechCrunch, didn’t you get the memo that cynicism and being alienated is uncool?
http://www.wash...8020102826.html
Y’know, focusing on the positive every now and again won’t kill a person. It’s not hip to be super-cynical, and it never really was. Post fail.
That being said, if ANYBODY at TechCrunch starts singing Kumbaya, I’m unsubscribing.
Happy mediums, guys. Strive for ‘em. Please?
If you want a steady supply of good and powerful news stories, just go to a crisis pregnancy center, and hear about the women and babies saved from death every day.
I don’t understand Sear’s role in this (just a sponsor or are they running it)?
Anyway, we have intersting (many are inspirational, some not) stories on our site so read them there instead
This is awesome…I purposely don’t watch the evening local news because as much as we need to know what is going on, it is DEPRESSING! I think this is an awesome idea. Looking for the good in people, rather than always the bad. Bravo Sears! Bravo AOL!
I love it. Happiness is just the best. GNN is just missing some unicorns and rainbows (which could be easily solved with a Cornify button on the site).
Yay, sparkles!
**Push “Good News” Down Your Throat?**
That doesn’t make sense?
At least not here.
I think Yahoo did this good new now site last year. May have been a Sears promotion then as well
Why would someone barf over good news? If anything, I am ready to barf over all the sensationalism in the mainstream media.
I dont need to see the another police car camera shot of a drunken person being arrested or hear another reason why this country is “doomed” from a loud mouth political talkshow host…
And launching a websitethat is clear in its intent is certainly not pushing something down someone’s throat.
In my opinion this is poorly written, childish and biased “news” article. Was this article sponsored by Fox News or MSNBC? 2 thumbs down TechCrunch.
Eric, no one is forcing YOU to read GNN.
You should be barfing from reading all the negative stories in the media (and that includes TC) the last nine months!