The Deepening Gloom

I’ve always found it interesting that when something goes wrong journalists seem to focus on intricate details about what made it go wrong, who’s to blame, and the statistics and figures, while only briefly touching on possible solutions to the problem and its progress. A great example: the majority of articles covering the economic recession. I learned the same seems to be true for international news outlets after reading the BBC News story titled, "Massive Layoffs as Gloom Deepens" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7852484.stm). I'd much rather read intricate details about what's being done about the recession rather than getting hung up on numbers and predictions, and if nothing's being done I'd expect a journalist to expose that. The article was about several big corporations announcing 70,000 layoffs in one single day. This is without a doubt a significant blow to global unemployment rate, but instead of mainly focusing on the individuals affected and what's being done for them, the article focuses on the gloomy outlooks for 2009 and which company made the biggest cuts. Though the article only briefly mentions it, it was relieving to read that Barack Obama addressed the issue and is urging congress to pass an eighty-five billion dollar stimulus package. I don't understand why there isn't more focus on details such as how much of this stimulus package will benefit those affected by the layoffs. In my opinion, yes, things are down right now, but dwelling on the extent of the damage isn't making progress. I'd much rather read about our efforts than our defeats.