Deutsch: For The Media, 'Positivity' Is The New In Thing

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Hmm, I wonder what's changed?

Former ad man turned pundit Donny Deutsch has proclaimed that "positivity" is the new in thing for the media—"the new black" as he puts it.

Deutsch appeared with Tom Brokaw on today's Morning Joe.  The former NBC anchor was touting his new USA Network series, "American Character Along Highway 50," featuring encounters with "real Americans" he meets on the road.

That set Deutsch off on his paean to positivity.

DONNY DEUTSCH: Tom, I just want to go back to something I'm so excited about, about what you're doing now. I think the American public is getting tired of negative and angry. And to show people of character: you know, people want to see those stories now --

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Optimism.

DEUTSCH: -- And I think you're going to see all across all media now that positivity is the new black, in a sense.  What we do for a living is never going to go out of business, in effect, but I think that you're going to be hitting a nerve here and I think that's going to inform—I think reality television is going to change now, it will be a lot more inspirational.  What you're doing is a form of reality television.

I have a sneaking suspicion Deutsch is right.  It does seem that the media is getting a lot more positive nowadays.  In fact, I can trace the phenomenon back to about, oh, I don't know, January 20th, 2009.

Update: Over at Free Republic, where this article has been cross-posted, reader GOPJ shares this excellent insight: "If Republicans take back the White House “new negativity” will be the new black."

Read more of Mark's stuff at FinkelBlog.