When the bad news drives out the good and why we should tip the scales the other way

Many complain it’s mighty difficult to find any good news about planners in the media, and police and priests might agree.

They all face inquiries and deluges of negativity despite the obvious fact most, even the overwhelming majority of advisers, coppers and clergymen strive to do the right thing. We hear much about correcting disequilibrium in markets between producers and consumers in terms of information and power.

How about tackling the imbalance between the plethora of bad news, which tars a whole sector, and better news from the grassroots about what’s already going on?

Below is just one story about a young planner who went out of his way to deliver value, compassion and a more secure future to a vulnerable medically discharged policewoman. It’s a single account of the kind of good work which goes on quietly everyday in planning, and other professions, but is all too easy to miss amidst as turmoil displaces trust.

These kind of stories have an important role in reminding us no single group is the repository of all wrong despite structural issues and the excess or negligence of certain players.

Public outrage sells papers but it’s also important to drive positive change however painful, blunt and drawn-out the process might be.

However it’s time to tip the scales in the other direction and remind ourselves as well as the public there are some truly great stories about how planners do help the public.

It’s perhaps ironic the first, of what we hope are many such accounts,  concerns someone from the police who faced potentially dismal decisions alone but for advice in her best interests.

Article by:

Christopher Zinn

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