If you turn on the television or surf the web and find a news source, I’ll bet the majority of stories you come across involve some natural disaster or act of destruction. I was reminded of this when one of my friends casually mentioned how the only news that gets reported is negative.

The point of his argument was that the media should report more positive aspects of everyday life. Even though I would consider stories about firemen rescuing cats mundane, our conversation got me thinking about what makes a newsworthy story.

Certainly, violence in the workplace (or at school) is something that should be reported, but I don’t think it should dominate the headlines.

This is not to say that society should stick its head in the sand and hope everything goes away, but violent crime should be reported and left alone. I hate seeing endless rehashes about Columbine or Greensboro. I just about gagged when I saw the tribute to Princess Diana on the one-year anniversary of her death. In just a few months, we’ll be able to have a two-year anniversary. Goody.

But news media outlets are driven by market forces and circulation is key.

The Spanish-American war was really precipitated by two media moguls of the time, Hearst and Pulitzer, who competed for circulation and headlines.

But for every knock the Daily takes, you should be thankful this paper doesn’t stoop to sensationalistic headlines and really crass journalism.

For the most part, stories get a spot on the page and maybe an editorial or two. This usually holds true for pornography-peddling professors, as well as student athletes who get caught breaking the law. In fact, the only time you see overblown coverage of anything is if it dominates the national headlines and nothing else gets reported.

But in reality, the majority of stories covered are public interest like the renovations in downtown Ames or significant speeches made by prominent politicians. I like seeing those stories because the more sensationalistic stories panic otherwise rational people. If two kids shoot up their school, parents everywhere overreact to the most trivial things, including how long it takes to evacuate a school.

Excuse me for pointing this out, but why would someone who wants to kill people warn the intended victims? I can even point out that in at least one previous school shooting the gunmen pulled the fire alarm just to get all the kids outside in a free-fire zone. Bomb threats are just for kids who want to stay home.

I particularly dislike the coverage given stories that involve non-important death or destruction because they only seem to reinforce the view that the world is a dangerous place and people are not to be trusted. Though places like Kosovo and EuroDisney should be avoided like the plague, I feel we live in a pretty safe world.

Random acts of violence do happen and some people are more unfriendly than the French, but for the most part, Iowa is an idyllic and boring community with good-hearted people.

I say this because a week ago my motorcycle broke down outside of Webster City and left me and my friend, Amy, stranded miles from nowhere.

However, there was a farm nearby and the people living there were kind enough to invite us inside to use their phone. Not only that, but they gave us Mountain Dew and brownies to pass the time as we waited for Amy’s cousin to drive out from Boone and pick us up.

As someone from outside of Chicago, I can tell you that people back home are generally not so nice. Though not exactly New York, we’re definitely not “Leave It to Beaver.” Thus, it was refreshing to see such an act of random kindness. Sure, I have friends I can count on, but strangers are not usually pictured as benign. What kid wasn’t told not to talk to strangers?

But here Amy and I found a nice rural couple willing to help us out and let me store my bike until I could come and get it at a later date. That experience reminded me that our perceptions are altered by what we see and hear, and that much of it is not good.

Although I can see my friend’s point of view on negative reporting, I must concede that many positive stories would not exist if not for the negative events that precipitated them.

The fireman who rescues the child from a burning house would be nowhere without the initial fire. Improving academic scores would mean little if our kids hadn’t done poorly before.

Realizing that, we must acknowledge that our world is not perfect and neither is our reporting.

But as I said earlier, unless there is a major scandal or monumental calamity there isn’t really much in the way of seriously negative reporting. Events happen and are duly noted, but it is up to the reader to determine their importance.

Personally, I just flip to the funnies and read my horoscope.

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Aaron Woell is a senior in political science from Bolingbrook, Ill. This column wasn’t his bag, baby!