Getting the balance right

As readers of my Facebook and LinkedIn pages know only too well, my reporting often gets attacked. Not just my reports, but me personally, writes Jon Danzig.

On receipt of one of my latest reports criticising the government – the one called, "From 'very low risk' to 10,000 deaths in just 80 days" – a “friend” sent me a WhatsApp message to say:

“Focus on the positives not the negatives. Negative press is not helpful for anyone’s mental health! When will UK press and journalists learn this!

“Blaming people isn’t helping. Spend your time making scrubs rather than writing gibberish about the government.”

[Note to self: reassess who are real friends after the lock down.]

Then this week there was a comment on the page here saying:

“This is not time for losers and whingers. It’s time to man up! The UK media is publishing too much negative gossip looking for a headline. If the media has nothing positive to say just shut up.”

Well, I hope that my journalism – even when I am reporting something negative – does have a positive purpose, which is to improve things; to point things out that can lead to something better.

But I do realise that so much negativity, especially during this devastating pandemic, can impact on people’s mental health.

There is only so much bad news people can take in at any given time, and yes, you do need to be mentally robust to assess a constant stream of bad news, every single day.

As I confided last month to a colleague and ally, Dominic Morgan, who is an NHS Commissioner and Disaster Response Director at the front line of the pandemic:

“I do worry that I am only posting alarming stories about the incompetence of our government, which much of the public agree with, but have no idea what to do about it.

“Parliament is closed, MPs can do next to nothing, we're mostly isolated at home and cannot protest. I am worried that I don't want my articles to spread panic and fear, but of course I do feel a duty to report.”

Dominic replied:

“I think you have to challenge now more than ever.”

(That’s actually the response I also get from all doctors that I am in touch with; they want me to continue reporting what’s actually happening).

And he added:

“Frontline NHS workers are finding themselves in an impossible position now, when trying to protect patients and themselves, due a lack appropriate PPE and consistency in guidance. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

I do try to balance my hard-hitting, somewhat depressing reports with lighter posts.

For example, my 1-minute recording last week of the dusk chorus, which has received quite a lot of attention. (Click the link at the bottom of this article to hear it).

My Facebook friends are also exclusively treated most days during this lockdown to photos of nature that I shoot during my daily constitutional walks.

(Incidentally, I do get quite a lot of Facebook friend requests, but hopefully understandably, I do have to vet them carefully. If there are no mutual friends, or nothing in a profile to say why someone might be an ally, I usually don’t accept. It’s worthwhile sending me a personal introduction if you want to be an FB buddy).

I can’t please everybody, but as I wrote back to the guy who told me to ‘shut up’ and stop reporting:

“I do journalism for a purpose. It’s not for negativity. It’s ONLY to try and achieve positive results.”

I won’t stop reporting hard facts that may change outcomes for the better.

But neither will I lose touch with the good and beautiful things happening around us, that can lift hearts, repair spirits, and ensure that we don’t entirely lose our minds during this very strange time.

• My one-minute recording of the dusk chorus during the lockdown
• Related article: Journalism for what?