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.