Good News Doesn't Sell

By: Terry Foster

I proved a point again. Good news does not sell.

It is an argument I have with readers and listeners all the time.

Here is the latest example. Three weeks ago I wrote a column about Warren DeLaSalle students screaming "We've got a future." The column was one of the most read on the News website. People from DeLaSalle blew up my face book, my twitter and filled my voice mail messages. They wanted me to retract the column and apologize to the student body.

I was called racist and anti DeLaSalle. It was crazy for a full five day because people believed I wrote a "negative story."

On Tuesday the two schools got together for a 90-minute pow wow where both sides hashed out their differences. I am glad they got together and it was a feel good story between the city and suburbs. It was an important get together and both sides felt good about it.

Young white and black boys left the school saying they'd formed a brother hood. I wrote a column about it. I just checked my voice mail at the Detroit News and I have zero messages. The story was one of the least read on the Detroit News sight and it is as if nobody cares.

You read about Brandon Inge, the Lions and high gas prices. Other than that you leave it alone.

Now do you see why newspapers write about murders, terrorism and the presidential race? Bad news and sensational news sells. I've been saying it for years. People always ask why newspapers don't put more "positive" stories in the paper. We do. You just don't read them. You don't care.