Just Because it’s Sad, Doesn’t Make it News: The Rise of Emotional Pitches in Local Journalism
Some stories tug at your heart, but that doesn’t always make them newsworthy.
It’s a pitch I used to hear all the time.
A teen killed in a car crash.
A beloved local business shutting its doors.
The story usually came with a plea: Can you cover this? The community needs to know. Also, here’s a link to the GoFundMe.
And to be honest, these requests were never easy to ignore. Behind each one is a real person, a real loss, a real hardship. But in the newsroom, we had to stop and ask the hard question: Is this a story, or is it just sad?
There’s a growing trend in local news where personal tragedies get fast-tracked to airtime or headlines. Not because they meet the standards of newsworthiness, but because they provoke an emotional reaction. Too often, they are tied to crowdfunding campaigns that make the line between reporting and promotion harder to define.
The Shortcut of the “Sob Story”
One story I remember came from a local restaurant owner. He was closing up shop and pitched his situation as a community story. He mentioned having serious health problems and framed it as a devastating one-two punch. At first, it sounded like a story worth telling. Maybe it would even bring some support his way.
But once our reporter got on the phone with him, the details started to shift. The health issues were real, but they weren’t the reason the business was going under. His restaurant was closing because it simply hadn’t succeeded, like so many others in their early years. The health challenges had nothing to do with the closure.
We passed on the story. Not because we lacked empathy, but because it didn’t meet the bar. Businesses fail all the time, especially in their first few years. That’s unfortunate, but not unusual. In other words, not news.
When Grief Comes with a Crowdfunding Link
This problem becomes even more complicated when it involves death and fundraising. Recently, a station aired a story about a woman who died during childbirth around Mother’s Day. It was framed as a community tragedy. The story included a GoFundMe link for funeral expenses.
The timing made the story feel more emotional. But maternal deaths, while tragic, are not uncommon. What made this story “news” seemed to be its emotional pull, not any unique circumstance or broader relevance.
It’s understandable that grieving families want help and attention. But when newsrooms act as the vehicle for their fundraising without deeper context or scrutiny, we stop being journalists. We start becoming amplifiers for whatever is most emotionally striking.
Other Examples That Reveal a Pattern
This isn’t limited to one city. Stories like these show up all over the country.
A teen in Georgia went viral after a TikTok showed him going to work at Burger King right after graduation. His story ended up in national headlines, and a fundraiser brought in over $130,000. It was a feel-good story, but not one that revealed anything broader about society or policy.
Roda Osman in Houston claimed she was attacked with a brick and raised over $40,000 through GoFundMe. Police later said the story may have been fabricated, and she was charged with theft by deception.
The Humboldt Broncos bus crash was a truly tragic event that was covered widely and appropriately. It also saw legitimate fundraising. But it sparked a wave of fake pages that tried to cash in on the real grief.
Each of these stories carries its own context. The point is not that emotion has no place in the news. It’s that emotion alone cannot be the reason a story is told.
Why It Matters
We are not short on important stories. But when sadness becomes the main filter for what gets airtime, we lose something essential. We risk turning journalism into an emotional feed, not a source of truth or clarity.
The rise of these emotionally driven stories can weaken public trust. They suggest that if your story is heartbreaking enough, it will be told. And if it’s not, you’re out of luck. That’s not a fair or sustainable model for public information.
Even worse, these kinds of stories are often unverifiable or misleading. And when they include fundraisers, the stakes get even higher. Misreporting doesn’t just misinform the audience. It can send money into the wrong hands.
What Newsrooms Should Ask
Is this story relevant beyond the person it features?
Have we verified the facts, or are we repeating what we were told?
Are we informing the public, or are we helping to promote a fundraiser?
If this happened without a GoFundMe link, would we still cover it?
Final Thought:
I understand why these stories are appealing. I’ve taken those calls. I’ve spoken to grieving relatives. I’ve had to make those tough calls in editorial meetings.
But our job as journalists isn’t to say yes to every emotional pitch. Our job is to look at the facts, ask the right questions, and be careful with the platform we provide.
Not every heartbreaking story is news. And the more we forget that, the less credible we become.