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Simon SinekSimon Sinek

Why Good News Is Worth the Effort | 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. + + + 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/ + + + *Chapters* 00:00:00 The Craving for Good News (And Why We Don't Watch It) 00:01:52 How 20 Years of Tragedy Broke a Journalist 00:03:00 Puerto Rico: The Hurricane That Changed Everything 00:08:15 The Advocacy vs. Objectivity Debate 00:09:18 When Journalism Became a Ratings Game 00:15:00 The Fixed-Rate Solution: Removing Financial Incentives from News 00:16:42 How Journalism Lost Its Way 00:23:00 Fear Is Louder Than Hope: Our Caveman Biology 00:36:27 Protecting Your Peace After Covering Tragedy 00:39:38 The Stories That Make It Worth It 00:46:22 Breaking the Rules to Do the Right Thing 00:50:12 Bearing Witness: Why Ignorance Can Be Your Superpower 00:55:49 The Long Game: Building Trust Over Chasing Ratings + + + 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. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek + + + #SimonSinek

Simon SinekhostDavid Begnaudguest
Nov 3, 202657mWatch on YouTube ↗

Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
November 3, 2026
Duration
57m
Channel
Simon Sinek
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

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. + + + 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/ + + + *Chapters* 00:00:00 The Craving for Good News (And Why We Don't Watch It) 00:01:52 How 20 Years of Tragedy Broke a Journalist 00:03:00 Puerto Rico: The Hurricane That Changed Everything 00:08:15 The Advocacy vs. Objectivity Debate 00:09:18 When Journalism Became a Ratings Game 00:15:00 The Fixed-Rate Solution: Removing Financial Incentives from News 00:16:42 How Journalism Lost Its Way 00:23:00 Fear Is Louder Than Hope: Our Caveman Biology 00:36:27 Protecting Your Peace After Covering Tragedy 00:39:38 The Stories That Make It Worth It 00:46:22 Breaking the Rules to Do the Right Thing 00:50:12 Bearing Witness: Why Ignorance Can Be Your Superpower 00:55:49 The Long Game: Building Trust Over Chasing Ratings + + + 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. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek + + + #SimonSinek

SPEAKERS

  • Simon Sinek

    host

    Author and leadership speaker; host of the podcast A Bit of Optimism.

  • David Begnaud

    guest

    Journalist at CBS known for storytelling and hosting Beg Knows America; founder of the Do Good Crew.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Simon Sinek, featuring Simon Sinek and David Begnaud, Why Good News Is Worth the Effort | Journalist David Begnaud explores why hope struggles against fear-driven news—and how to fix it The conversation examines why negative news dominates attention, with both speakers arguing that fear-driven content is louder than hope and is exploited for ratings and clicks.

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