This is an opinion.
I can’t tell you how many times I hear that our newspaper should publish more “good, positive” news. In fact, I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago and she was taken aback by all the dramatic issues we’ve been covering lately — you know the ones.
As crazy as it sounds, bad news often dominates the headlines no matter which outlets you turn to. Why? Because bad news is much “juicier” than the good news.
Think about it. Which would you read first: “Man buys meals for local families,” or “Woman charged in shoplifting spree”?
Bad news is like the car accident we see while driving down Interstate 20. You’ve been driving 5 mph for the last hour, and even though you should just acknowledge the crash and keep going, you can’t. You have to slow down and take a long hard look at it because the scene is horrific and involved multiple vehicles. You have to know what happened, why it happened, how it happened and who it happened to.
Wrecks are one of the reasons why NASCAR built such a large fanbase over the years. It’s dangerous. And while the wrecks are awful, you’re not going to look away.
It’s the same with a negative news story. When that headline hits the stands, it makes you stop and look. It makes you want to know more, no matter how bad it is. It steals the show while the good news is so often left in the dust.
I digress.
In short, my friend wished The Covington News could soon report some positive and encouraging news, and I hoped for the same. Honestly, covering difficult topics can be mentally taxing.
Well, our wish was granted.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve reported numerous major economic development announcements involving Newton County and the city of Covington, headlined of course by last week’s announcement of the new data center project at Stanton Springs for Baymare LLC.
However, the announcements of Starbucks taking over the former Chick-fil-A building at Newton Plaza and a Publix anchoring Covington Town Center have appeared to cause an even bigger stir, for whatever reason, somehow overshadowing the $42 billion, four-county development.
Regardless, I’m glad to finally see some “good, positive” news finally take the cake. It’s been far too long.
My hat goes off to the leadership involved in these business negotiations. Despite a global pandemic, folks like Serra P. Hall and David Bernd with the Newton County Industrial Development Authority, along with many others, have remained hard at work to recruit industries and businesses to our home and pave the way to a brighter tomorrow.
Taylor Beck is the editor and publisher of The Covington News. He may be reached at tbeck@covnews.com.
