Love, Mercy and News Writing

“If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another”.

Being compassionate to others is a very important part of news writing. It reflects our professionalism and appeals to people’s emotions, making them feel more interested in what we write. Joseph Smith talked about the importance of loving one another and the effect it can have on others and himself. He said, “When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what pow’r it has over my mind. . . . The nearer we get to our Heavenly Father, the more are we dispos’d to look with compassion on perishing souls—[we feel that we want] to take them upon our shoulders and cast their sins behind our back . . . if you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another.“

When you write any news topic, you must keep in mind the effect it will have on people and how it will affect their lives, whether positively or negatively. Keeping this in mind will help you focus more on being a positive influence who highlights the most important aspects of the people or topic you are writing about. In the final part of the quote, he expressed that if you want to have God’s mercy on your life, you must have mercy on others. This means that what you give love and mercy to others, you will receive back the same blessing from our Heavenly Father.

Moreover, there will be times when you will feel that others are not showing kindness or love. However, this can serve as motivation to feel profound love for them and want to help by sharing clear, positive news. Being compassionate toward others will help you better connect with their emotions and build trust with them.