Impact journalism

The concept of what is called impact journalism is yet to make much headway let alone plan for proper celebration of the Impact Journalism Day. Yet the day was observed in at least 40 countries with one of the leading newspapers in each playing the partner to the project of advancing the cause in favour of positive journalism. September 20 is the day for celebration of the occasion. It appears that like every other revolutionary idea, impact journalism has surely come to make a mark and change the old notions of journalism.
An oft-repeated example of what makes news has it that if a dog bites a man, it is not news but if a man bites a dog, it surely is. There is no denying that negative developments have more news value. But today people are fed up with such stories. Sure enough, there are pains, frustration, sufferings, corruption, brutality, scandal and downsides of human life. They are subjects of journalism. The overall picture is mostly pessimistic.
But then should this be the journey's end in journalism? Christian de Boisredon, founder of the Spark News is in no mood to accept such a gloomy picture of the vocation. He is overly optimistic about human destiny and rightly so emphasises change-making developments thanks to the otherwise unassuming people who act as the harbinger of those breakthroughs. This in no way is a denial of the hard reality but rather an open admission to it. Now the search is on how men and women have faced those problems and come up with a proper answer or solution to those difficulties in order to accomplish human triumph.
It surely is a vindication of human spirit and there are people in flesh and blood who devote themselves against all odds to work for making life easier for fellow human beings. Impact journalism seeks to highlight such achievements, innovation and struggle with the explicit aim to help people get over the entrenched despondency and connect with people who think positively. Slowly and surely, people are convinced that they all have inborn qualities capable of contributing to the welfare of society. A sense of togetherness instead of loneliness can work wonder. Impact journalism gives people such a feeling of shared commitment to each other and collectivism.
Now that shared information and knowledge have become a strong tool of decision-making in all areas of life, people can think of various options. Although journalism has not much scope for activism, it has a social responsibility to inspire and encourage people through citing success stories in a positive light. In this regard, the treatment of such stories count. When people from humble origin or with moderate academic success take a giant leap all because they have known the harsh life from close quarters, their acts deserve to be celebrated. Sheer will power and dedication to a cause help them reach their goals. And stories like this act like an abiding inspiration for others and thus society looks forward to a bright future. Celebration of such stories is at the core of impact journalism.