For the first time in 94 years, Time had a guest editor: Bill Gates. He writes that reading the news today does not leave people feeling very optimistic these days because it is filled with mass shootings, hurricanes, and global tensions. But, Gates says that “on the whole, the world is getting better.” Since 1990, the number of children who die before their fifth birthday has been cut in half. Plus, a century ago, it was legal to be gay in only 20 countries, but now, it’s legal in over 100 countries. Women are gaining political power and people are starting to listen when women talk about sexual assault. More than 90 percent of all children in the world attend primary school. Gates says that of course there is still work to do. But he writes that the world feels like it is in decline partly because of the nature of news coverage. Therefore, as guest editor, he asked some of the people he respects “most to write about what makes them optimistic.”
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