A Bit of OptimismSimon SinekAll episodes
Why Good News Is Worth the Effort with Journalist David Begnaud
Some people see a rule and follow it. Some people see a rule and ask what it was for. David Begnaud has built a career out of finding the second kind.
For 20 years, David was the lead national correspondent for CBS News, reporting from hurricanes, earthquakes, and mass shootings — including the Hurricane Maria coverage that made him a lifeline for millions of Puerto Ricans and changed the direction of his career. Today he hosts “Beg Knows America” on CBS Mornings and is the founder of Do Good Crew, where he tells the stories that remind us of our shared humanity.
Fair warning — expect some spirited debate. David and Simon dig into where trust in the news went and who gets to rebuild it. But they land in the same place: the only thing that makes an imperfect system work is a person willing to do the right thing and accept what it costs them.
In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ Why fear is louder than hope, and what 25 years of it does to your body
➡️ How to ask for the work you want and keep the relationship
➡️ Why the best feel-good stories keep the tension and the pain in
➡️ What to do when the rules stand in the way of what’s right
➡️ Why doing the right thing makes you equal to anyone in the room
➡️ Why protecting your peace may be the thing that extends your life
The people in David’s stories decided for themselves what the right thing was, and then stood behind it. That same choice belongs to all of us. And this conversation makes it a little easier to make the next time the call is yours.
This… is A Bit of Optimism.
A note on this episode: David and Simon talk openly about the human cost of covering disaster, including death, hospice and the end of life. They also discuss how newsrooms handle the reporting of suicide. This episode contains strong language.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988 in the US.
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To learn more about Do Good Crew, visit: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com/
Want more David? Tune into his podcast “The Person Who Believed in Me,” head to: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com/podcast
And check out “Beg-Knows America” on CBS Mornings here:https://www.cbsnews.com/feature/beg-knows-america/
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Chapters
Chapters
- 00:00:00 The Craving for Good News (And Why We Don't Actually Watch It)
- 00:01:52 How 20 Years of Tragedy Broke a Journalist
- 00:05:22 Puerto Rico: The Hurricane That Changed Everything
- 00:08:24 When Advocacy Crosses the Line: The Journalist's Dilemma
- 00:09:18 How the News Industry Lost Its Way (And Who's to Blame)
- 00:15:00 The Fixed-Rate Solution: Removing Financial Incentives from News
- 00:17:10 When Journalism Blurred the Lines
- 00:21:05 From Lead Correspondent to Feel-Good Storyteller
- 00:32:25 The Stories That Make It All Worth It
- 00:34:46 Why Cortisol Can't Be Your Life: Protecting Your Peace
- 00:51:33 The George Floyd Lesson: When Bearing Witness Changes Everything
- 00:54:42 Civil Disobedience and Doing the Right Thing
- 00:55:49 Short-Term Ratings vs Long-Term Integrity
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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
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