"If it bleeds, it leads," my journalism teacher always says with regard to the top stories in the news.

The question I have is, "Why? Why do the media make such big deals of gruesome and tragic stories?"

If you've ever watched a news broadcast or flipped through a newspaper, you know what I mean. The story first talked about, or the story on the front cover with a 72-point font bold headline, is the story about the latest murder in town. The nice, happy stories about the dog that saved its owner and the baby lion at the Zoo are reserved for the end of the broadcast or the middle sections of the paper.

Unfortunately, the crime rate in today's world is all too high. But that doesn't mean that the media should go around trying to depress their audiences with every bloody story affecting the world. It seems to me as though the media try to instill fear in everyone willing to listen.

With horrifying murders being the top stories day after day, week after week, one can only fear for his or her life. I mean, seriously, the media make it seem like it's a danger for one to even walk outside of the house.

Likewise, stories of deadly car crashes and bad teen driving pop up all the time in the news, despite the fact that neither of which is all that prevalent of an issue.

It amazes me too that some horrific stories can never seem to leave the eyes of the media.

Take the JonBenét Ramsey case, for instance. Yeah, her story was a big deal back when she was first killed in 1996. But ten years later? Come on. That John Mark Karr guy was just some insane psychopath who didn't kill her. Unfortunately, we probably will never know who did. Yet the media bring up this disturbing story year after year, as if they can never move on to something more pleasant.

I don't know about everyone else, but I know I would favor a shift in the types of stories covered in the news. I would love to hear more pleasant stories of rescues and animals and admirable accomplishments, along with the quirky stories that make the headlines every so often.

The news should most definitely cover the major issues impacting the United States and the world today. And sometimes, yes, the people do need to hear devastating stories in order to be informed citizens of the global community. However, the news doesn't need to be depressing all the time. I mean, good things happen in the world too. I think it's high time we place a little more importance on those stories.

Hannah Smith is a freshman at Bear Creek High School and enjoys spending time with animals, volunteering and playing the violin.