Title: 16 Eye-Opening Negative News Statistics for 2021
Headings: 16 Eye-Opening Negative News Statistics You Need to Know
16 Eye-Opening Negative News Statistics You Need to Know
Top Negative News Facts (Editor’s Choice)
Negative News Statistics at a Glance
1. Approximately 90% of all media news is negative.
2. Sensational stories form 95% of media headlines.
3. Nielsen ratings are at fault for 50% of negative news statistics.
4. 38% of Americans believe the media exaggerated the COVID-19 coverage.
5. Approximately 1 in 10 American adults checks the news every hour.
6. A website lost 66% of its readers when it published positive stories for a day.
7. Studies show that headlines with bad news catch 30% more attention.
8. Reports show 65% of news organizations ignore mistakes.
9. Around 26.7% of people that are exposed to negative news go on to develop anxiety.
10. An average of 79% of media companies print biased stories for advertisers.
11. Headline manipulation has been proven to double readership.
12. A staggering 87% of the COVID-19 coverage in 2020 was negative.
13. People are 49% more likely to read something negative than positive.
14. 63% of kids aged 12–18 say that watching the news makes them feel bad.
15. Most people blame the public for the popularity of negative news headlines.
16. 79% of Americans believe media articles are not balanced in their arguments.
To Sum It All Up
FAQ
Why does the news focus on the negative?
Why do we pay more attention to negative news than to positive news?
What is bad news bias?
Does bad news travel faster than good news?
Why is the media so negative?

Content: 6. A website lost 66% of its readers when it published positive stories for a day. (Quartz)
Russian news website, The City Reporter, decided to publish only positive stories for a day. The social experiment was undertaken to see the effect negative vs. positive news stories have on people. Stories were all written from a positive stance. They included things like how the roads were clear despite heavy snow. The result of the experiment led to the website losing two-thirds of its readership! Its writers and reporters were just as shocked as you are. 7. Studies show that headlines with bad news catch 30% more attention.