Some Good News with John Krasinski is Spreading Virtual Positivity During COVID-19

Though the current state of the world in quarantine to COVID-19 is certainly bleak, actor John Krasinski has created the perfect, heartwarming distraction. His Youtube channel, Some Good News (SGN), has a sole purpose, and it’s to report on positive news stories. 

John Krasinski, best known for his role as Jim Halpert on the hit sitcom “The Office,” is lightening the load of virtual reporting on the pandemic with an overwhelmingly positive weekly newscast. SGN was started a mere three weeks ago on March 29th and has since gained nearly two million subscribers on Youtube. The logo, which happens to be a colorful picture of “SGN” drawn by Krasinski’s kids, can often be seen on the media platform’s “Trending Now” feed with the first episode of the series amassing over 16 million views. 

How did this positive news channel gain popularity so quickly? The answer is simple: people need to believe that there are still good things happening in the world right now. 

Krasinski, clad in a suit and tie, opened the series three weeks ago with the first SGN episode, jokingly saying, “For years now I’ve been wondering, why is there not a news show dedicated entirely to good news? Well, desperately seeking my fix somewhere else, I reached out to all of you this week!”

Prior to the premiere episode, he had taken to Twitter to ask his 2.5 million followers to send him stories that “made you feel good this week or things that just made you smile”. Before sharing some of the many heartwarming stories, Krasinski concluded his friendly introduction with, “Why not us? Why not now? Ladies and gentlemen this is your fault, and this is SGN!”

From the very start of the show it became clear to viewers that the comical, laid back, and welcoming persona that Krasinski played on “The Office” radiated out of his persona as well.

The first story that Krasinski shared was about the tireless, selfless, and heroic efforts of healthcare workers putting their lives on the line everyday for complete strangers. He emphasized how these heroes had never asked for a ‘thank you’ or any reward, but that across the globe people were coming together to show their appreciation. Krasinski then featured a montage of videos sent in via Twitter accompanied by upbeat music. 

The videos included people cheering in the streets outside hospitals, dancing and celebrating for doctors, lining up in solitude with ambulances on the street, and thousands clapping for their rescuers in what looked like a makeshift triage site in a warehouse. In Spain, Krasinski exclaimed, police lined up in their cop cars outside of a hospital and flashed their lights to show their appreciation for the work of their hospital staff. Subsequently, everyone on the adjacent street joined in from their apartment windows. 

Though the pandemic situation has forced everyone to quarantine for the sake of those most vulnerable to the virus, Krasinski highlighted just how positive continued unity and selflessness can be. 

This first SGN episode also featured how some people are making “kindness extra special” by going out of their way to support others. Krasinski introduced the segment with, “Even indoors in the weird world of isolation, good news is happening everywhere.” Highlights included someone who left out bottles of hand sanitizer and boxes of toilet paper for Fed-Ex workers and a food delivery person to take when they made their deliveries. 

Another family with four kids sent in a video of their elderly neighbor mowing their lawn. Their neighbor, an army veteran, had promised the deployed husband of the family that he would take care of them while the husband was away. The family praised their neighbor for always looking out for them, noting how he would sometimes send pizza to their house. Other stories from the episode showcased couples improvising romantic proposals and dates despite trips being cancelled, as well as an elderly man serenading his wife from outside the window of her nursing home. 

Despite everyone being in a tough position with the current state of the world, Krasinski’s SGN certainly demonstrates that, “Somehow the human spirit still found a way to break through and blow us all away.”

Krasinski concluded SGN’s first episode with an interview with another “The Office” alumni, Steve Carell, aka ‘Michael Scott’, to celebrate the show’s 15th anniversary. Viewers flooded the comments with their favorite “The Office” quotes and gushed about loving ‘Jim Halpert’ even more than they already had. Whether viewers first clicked on this channel for positive news stories or purely because they saw Krasinski’s familiar face in the thumbnail, it’s clear that the impact of this Youtube channel is more than powerful. 

In fact, anyone and everyone is included in the uplifting movement that SGN has started. Just this past Friday, Krasinski hosted a live “SGN Prom” on the channel to cheer up high school seniors who would be missing an important milestone due to the pandemic. 

In an Instagram post promoting the live, virtual event, Krasinski wrote, “First of all, you’re welcome. Second of all, I can’t take it anymore how much you are all missing your prom. So, let’s do something about it! Let’s have an #SGNprom!” 

Though many had hoped to go to events like prom and graduation, the tireless efforts of John Krasinski and his channel still provide hope and a reason to smile. Further, the optimism of the show and sharing of heartfelt gestures that can still be seen in today’s society reminds people that good news still exists and everything will be okay.