There’s a saying in journalism: “If it bleeds, it leads.”

In a nutshell, that means that wherever there’s violence or trauma or conflict or bloodshed, people will be interested in hearing about it. During an election, challengers seek to convince constituents that their lives are bad, and incumbents try to explain how much worse it would be if they lost.

It makes the work of journalism kind of a downer sometimes, as we’re encouraged to feed on the negative aspects of society. Some people brush off the whole pursuit by saying the news is just too cynical. Some days, I’m with them.

I try to ensure that the Herald’s coverage is at least somewhat balanced in terms of negativity and positivity. While it’s true that the negatives are important, and we have an obligation here in the newsroom to shine a light on ugly truths, there are positives that are important to highlight as well.

Last week, astronaut Chris Hadfield gave a talk in Dawson Creek, B.C. In speaking with journalists afterwards, he said viewing man’s impact on earth from space — the infrastructure, the dams, the buildings and roads — he came back to Earth inspired. Man has accomplished a lot, and there’s a lot for us as a species to be proud of.

There’s other data that backs up Hadfield’s positivity towards mankind. Since the 90s a massive shift has taken place that has made the world a better place for everyone to live in.

The population of the world living in extreme poverty has fallen by more than half, from 35 to 14 per cent from 1993 to 2011, according to World Bank statistics.

And according to Unicef, more than 12 million kids died before reaching the age of five in 1990. That number today is closer to 6 million.

The number of children getting an education in developing countires is also at an all-time high.

These are huge strides, and the idea that extreme poverty could be completely eliminated is now in the realm of possibility.

That’s a pretty far cry from the typical media coverage, which focuses on how uneducated, poor and hungry humanity is, and usually places the blame squarely on the shoulders of the western world.

Of course there’s still war, and famine, and disease all over the world. The world is an evil place, and that will never fail to manifest itself in many different forms. But in large part, and I believe in large part thanks to western values, those things are considered something to be addressed, and sometimes we get victories. It’s important to celebrate those, and take a break from the doom and gloom to recognize the positive impact we’re having on each other.

There’s a lot of chatter these days about the colonization of Mars. I’m all for it, but let’s keep in perspective how great we’ve made our home planet here on Earth.

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