Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Some Good News About ‘Some Good News’

Perhaps one of the most exhausting things about the coronavirus epidemic is the nonstop negative coverage about the coronavirus epidemic. And the news can be pretty bleak. Lives have been lost, businesses have been shut down, and many families are struggling to make ends meet. (If you or someone you know is struggling through this epidemic, Focus on the Family offers many different resources to help.)

But some people have taken it upon themselves to make the best of a bad situation. I’m talking, of course, about John Krasinski, probably best known for his starring turn in The Office and his acting and direction in A Quiet Place. A few weeks ago, Krasinski–tired of reading a constant stream of bad news while sequestered at home with his family–started a new YouTube channel called Some Good News dedicated to delivering absolutely nothing but some good news.

In the first episode, Krasinski admits he’s been wondering for a few years now, “Why is there not a news show dedicated entirely to good news?” Well, there’s no time like the present. So, he put the word out via Twitter asking the entire world for stories “that made you feel good this week or the things that just made you smile.”

And the world delivered. He received photos, videos and Tweets celebrating everything from a grandfather meeting his grandchild for the first time through a glass window to a neighbor mowing the lawn for the family of a deployed soldier. Each episode highlights the outpouring of kindness, generosity and love we’re seeing now, despite having to keep our distance from each other.

Krasinski also takes some time each episode to thank and honor all the healthcare heroes on the front lines of this epidemic. The videos and photos show these men and women hard at work, being applauded by their communities and cheering on every survivor of COVID-19 as they are discharged from hospitals. And Krasinski’s spotlight on these first responders has done more than make us smile. He revealed recently that, after seeing the efforts and sacrifices of first responders through the show, AT&T offered to pay the cell phone bills of every single nurse and doctor in America for the next three months.

Now that’s some good news.

The Office alum also invites special guests onto each episode. From the social distancing compliance of his home, Krasinski had a virtual mini-Office reunion with costar Steve Carrell, surprised a young girl with a personal performance from Lin-Manual Miranda and the entire cast of Hamilton, gifted a local hospital staff with lifetime season passes to the Boston Red Sox and congratulated a 15-year-old girl who completed her final chemo treatment and returned home to a social-distancing-friendly parade.

Some Good News isn’t completely good news for those watching. We do hear a few people misuse God’s name, and in the Hamilton episode, the lyrics featured a profanity or two. But Krasinski’s spirit of goodwill and cheer has become contagious (but not in a bad way), and people around the world started imitating his channel before the second episode even aired. And hopefully, it will continue to spread even after coronavirus stops. So even though we all recently had to celebrate Easter from home, let’s take a page out of Krasinski’s book and continue sharing our own good news—the best “Good News” that’s ever been—using all the social-distancing approved methods we have available.

Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.