Small-Business Owner Optimism Declines
Negative HeadLines Get Attention
Today’s on-line Pacific Business News featured a story starting with the above headline. Many people just read the headlines, and reading this one might cause one to buy into the negative projections and stories so popular in the press these days. Those reading beyond the headlines saw this first paragraph.
“The optimism level among owners of small businesses continues on a five-quarter decline, according to latest results of a quarterly Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index reported Tuesday.”
Are you depressed yet? If not, the next five paragraphs consisted of “doom and gloom” opinions and comments in this Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index.
The Good News Gets Lost
And as is so often the case, the good news came at the very end. Those who read to the end saw this closing sentance, “Additionally, 94 percent of respondents said they feel successful being a small business owner, virtually unchanged from all prior quarters.”
I just cannot understand how such facts deserve a headline like the one above. I’d love to see that last sentance be the headline, but then again, maybe nobody would read it.
Bad news always has been the best seller.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:13 am
It is refreshing to hear a positive perspective. Ron is right; the media usually sees the glass half empty. I really think that people like reading bad news because in some morbid way it lets them be glad it isn’t them they are reading about. The “catch 22″ here is that when reading enough of they become one.