Journalists are treasured members of a society, and we can’t really function without them. Their tendency, however, is to be the watchdog and report on the problems. This partly spawns from good intentions: If you shine a bright light on dark places, it forces awareness among the general public and action from leadership.

But it’s also because there’s a prevailing belief in the media that lurid headlines sell and that all of us are more interested in the latest murder or outbreak than in a piece of positive, uplifting news. As one of my favorite journalists, Nicholas Kristof, put it in a recent column, “We (journalists) cover planes that crash, not planes that take off.”

The result: Negativity overload. Violence brewing there. Another disease is on the rise. Here’s the latest education crisis. And on and on.

This is where you come in. Let your story be an antidote to the negativity — the plane taking off — and short film the medium you use to give it wings. As you step into your role as storyteller for social innovation, be sure to share your solutions and your visions for tomorrow and invite your audience to be part of the unfolding journey.

They, like you, are eager for a brighter future.