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New title: Feeling Down? The Top 10 Good News Websites to Cheer You Up
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Most news stories are overwhelmingly negative, and constantly exposing yourself to all the world’s problems can harm your mental health over time. I’ve cut down my consumption to the point that I almost never watch normal news, and instead, I recommend sites that focus specifically on good stories.
One of the most prominent good news websites is Positive News. Founded in 1993, the organization aims to produce independent positive news stories. Positive News is a quarterly magazine and an online publication.
In 2015, the company launched a crowdfunding campaign titled #OwnTheMedia. This turned Positive News into a cooperative, essentially making each of the 1,500 backers a co-owner of Positive News. This is an unusual model for journalism, and it keeps the publication accountable for its vision.
The site publishes stories on a wide range of topics, including society, the environment, lifestyle, science, and economics. Positive News is a UK-based organization, so some stories have a more British slant, but it also covers the US and other countries. You can support Positive News by making a donation.
A common theme among positive news websites is their longevity, which in itself, is good news. The Good News Network has been operational since 1997 and has amassed an archive of over 21,000 positive news stories.
The so-called Good News Guru, Geri Weis-Corbley, has been at the helm since founding the site. Like Positive News, which primarily covers good news in the UK, Good News Network has its own regional slant, covering some of the best positive news in the US.
If you want to support the site, you can become a member by donating. Good News Network is also an excellent choice for those on the go, thanks to the site’s mobile apps for Android and iOS. So, if you want to stop doomscrolling, open the Good News Network app in place of your regular news provider or social network.
For those who prefer their news in podcast form, it also produces the Good News Gurus Podcast. It acknowledges that good news doesn’t end at the US border, so the site has an entire section dedicated to positive world news. There’s even a Spanish-language section of the site.
Unlike some positive news websites, Good News Network is not a non-profit organization. This is because it wants to show that it is possible to be profitable while still focusing on the positive things in life.
While other positive news websites tend to take a slower approach to journalism, The Optimist Daily is focused on the here and now. The site aims “to accelerate the shift in human consciousness by catalyzing 100 million people to start each day with a positive solutions mindset”.
The site doesn’t aim to be an alternative to mainstream news. Rather, it wants to be a positive outlet for happy news, where people can get the good news of the day.
Some of the phrases used to describe the site sound like they were taken from a new-age self-help guide. But beneath the flowery language, its mission is the same as that of other positive news websites: to spread good news today and minimize negativity.
The Optimist Daily doesn’t just focus on good news or positive news, though. It also has a substantial archive of personal development tips and techniques.
Reddit isn’t a website that people normally associate with good news or happy news. The site is more commonly linked with controversy for its more infamous Subreddits. However, the Uplifting News subreddit is “a place to read and share positive and uplifting feel-good news stories.” Since launching in 2012, the community has now grown to 18 million+ strong.
The moderators do an excellent job of keeping the discussion focused and, for the most part, good-natured. When things do veer off into less desirable territory, other users encourage each other to stay focused on the positive and not descend into squabbling.
However, if you want to read only good news, you can ignore the discussions and use the subreddit to discover positive news stories instead. With such a diverse membership, the site is also a great resource for positive news worldwide.
If you’re new to the site, you may want to check out the best Reddit sites and apps for beginners as well. And despite its negativity, some think that Reddit is the best social media platform around.
The Happy Newspaper is a quarterly newspaper by British writer and illustrator Emily Coxhead; it launched in 2015 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The magazine is available on a subscription basis and provides an offline good news alternative for when you want to switch off from your screens.
News items are arranged chronologically by month, and each issue is centered around a specific happy news theme. There is even a section called Everyday Heroes, which looks at some of the most inspirational people and organizations, as nominated by The Happy Newspaper readers.
The newspaper is available as a subscription or gift subscription and can be shipped worldwide to lovers of positive news.
Upworthy can sometimes take a more negative approach than the other websites listed so far, but these are intended to be thought-provoking rather than bad. The overwhelming majority of articles speculate on how we can change societal issues, such as teenagers’ mental health, and they take a hopeful and pragmatic approach.
Upworthy also identifies funny stories but from a place of legitimate amusement and being wholesome, instead of putting others down. You can find a list of trending stories on the right-hand side.
Today.com’s Good News section features positive news stories from everyday life, and I felt better just by scrolling down the homepage and skimming its headlines. You’ll find wholesome stories about couples revisiting their first date spot, along with plenty of articles about people doing good things in the world.
If you’re looking for positive news stories with less of a political tinge and you want some relief from worrying about everyday issues, Today.com is an excellent source. Coupling this website with podcasts for positivity and inspiration could make a significant positive impact.
Do you have an interest in science and a passion for learning how the world works? Happy Daze is the website for you. Here, you’ll find plenty of non-conventional stories about a broad range of topics. For example, you can learn how plants get calcium.
The website is updated less frequently than many others on this list; nonetheless, it’s worth checking every few weeks to see if anything new has been uploaded.
While some of the posts on r/goodnews are also published on r/UpliftingNews, you’ll find several other fresh stories that weren’t covered. These stories are a mixture of articles from mainstream outlets and more niche websites, and the subreddit is typically updated daily.
Besides finding stories covered online, others will share their own success stories. It’s an ideal place to get inspiration, and you might want to couple what you see with online communities for personal growth.
Only Good News Daily is a mixture of stories and fun articles that’ll undoubtedly make your day better. The website has daily good news roundups, meaning you can get an idea of what’s going well in the world before doing your usual tasks.
I particularly like Only Good News Daily when I’m short on time; it’s very easy to digest. You’ll also find plenty of videos, many of which showcase the wonders of our planet.
While the world has problems, it’s also much more positive than you think. For all the bad stories you see each day, plenty of things go well. Unfortunately, these often aren’t covered by big publications because they don’t sell as well. So, if you’re ready to change your information diet, these websites are a great starting point.