Sustainable News Project

SNSF Starting Grant Project

Negative news about political crises, climate change, and wars dominates daily headlines, providing essential information for individuals and societies. However, the persistent focus on negativity increasingly drives people to turn away from the news to protect their mental health. This project addresses the central question: how can people stay informed about current events without harming their mental well-being? By examining news production, audience behavior, and new technological approaches, the project aims to find a way to combine continuous knowledge acquisition through news use with psychological resilience – for a better-informed and mentally healthier society.

The project explores how news consumption can be made more sustainable, allowing people to stay informed without endangering their mental health. It first investigates whether news has indeed become more negative over time, how this differs between countries, and whether the negativity reflects real events or subjective perceptions. From the audience’s perspective, the project examines the trade-off between staying informed through news and the potential harm to well-being. It also explores whether taking a temporary break from news consumption can support recovery or if it risks leading to lasting disengagement. Regarding news production, the project examines how newsrooms navigate the challenge of providing thorough coverage of serious topics without overwhelming their audiences emotionally. By testing health-aware news apps and algorithms, the project develops practical solutions to foster an informed and psychologically resilient public in today’s media environment.

The project operates at the intersection of journalism, psychology, and technology, aiming to uncover relationships between news use, knowledge gain, and well-being and develop solutions that help people stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Combining text analysis, research on news consumption, and insights into news production, it makes theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions to both academia and practice. The findings aim to help newsrooms engage their audiences while minimizing negative effects, enrich public debate on media use, and foster healthier relationships between individuals and the news. In a world shaped by crises, this project lays the groundwork for responsible and sustainable ways to stay informed.

Marc Jungblut
Stuart Soroka
Richard Fletcher
Nic Newman
Joy Jenkins
Silvia Schiaulini

SNSF Starting Grant 2024 

The project will start in fall 2025.