Most people would agree with the assessment that 2015 was a fairly bleak year. After a year which had seen two terrorist attacks in Paris, the rise of ISIS, and the suffering of millions making the journey across the Mediterranean, there was an almost audible sigh of relief when 2015 drew to a close. Indeed, celebrations for the New Year in Paris were muted as a mark of respect – eschewing the fireworks in favour of quiet reflection.

The first fortnight of 2016 has also been dark, but perhaps in a slightly more personal way. The deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman have struck a chord with their fans, both here in Cambridge and further afield.

As government changes to junior doctors’ contracts and to the provision of maintenance grants raise concern and ire amongst students and activists, the new Cambridge term doesn’t seem to be getting off to the best of starts.

On Tuesday, the protest at Addenbrooke’s Hospital against the new junior doctors’ contracts saw up to 200 people attend a rally featuring trade union figures, hospital staff, and a medical negligence lawyer.

This wave of anger against the proposed changes has been mirrored elsewhere, as the government faces criticism over its plans to scrap maintenance grants for disadvantaged students in favour of extending the maintenance loan scheme.

Cambridge too has felt the aftershocks of the ongoing debate at Oxford, where the Chancellor of the university, Lord Patten, has spoken out against the #RhodesMustFall campaign, labelling it an attempt to rewrite history in accordance with “contemporary views and prejudices”. Cambridge classicist Mary Beard, interviewed in this week's issue of Varsity, has previously expressed similar views, whereas CUSU’s BME campaign has said that it stands alongside the Oxford campaigners. This may be an ideological stand-off, but it’s one which could quickly descend into irrelevance, with Oriel College already seeming to want to kick the issue into the long grass, declaring a six-month “thinking period” on the matter. Such high-minded debates often have little sticking-power.

While the news we consume is often full of such darkness, conflict, and confrontation, the start of a new year – and in Cambridge, a new term – is often cause for a fresh start. Although New Year’s resolutions may quickly fall by the wayside, we all live in the hope that the news will improve; that we won’t see more atrocities like those we witnessed in Paris. Though the hack’s adage may read “Bad news makes good news”, the ethics of the newsroom should not be allowed to escape its walls.

This is why we take strength from adversity and the dark times in which we find ourselves. Take a look at the photographs of the protesters outside Addenbrooke’s Hospital – while there may at times be frowns and angry glances, the smiles leap to the fore.

The news, though often dark, teaches us to look for the light. While that may come in very different forms depending upon your beliefs and perspective, amid the doom and gloom positive stories – often derided as ‘fluff’ – play an important role in our consumption of the news.

In these grey January days, we must look for these sources of optimism and light: at least it seems that Cambridge street lights may be staying on... for now at least.