The dissemination of bad news in journalism practice seems to be a norm. Oddity is a key determinant of what journalists define as news. This conception has led to an intensification of bad news reports in society. This study measures the effects of bad news reports on media audiences. Agenda Setting, Framing and Gatekeeping theories are used. A total of 376 inhabitants in Buea municipality were surveyed. Findings suggest that the effects of bad news reports are significantly negative (0.000). It evokes anger (41.1%), makes the audience scared (73.4%), affects the audience’s mood (46.7%), promotes extremism and violence (41.4%), reinforces distrust and hatred for public officials (57.5%), increases the audience blood pressure (20.1%), significantly (0.000) reduces media exposure and gives joy to some (9%). As a result of the negative effects, 211 (56.1%) respondents preferred good news reports to bad news reports. To mitigate the negative effects of bad news reports on media audiences, this study recommends that journalists should adopt the silver lining approach to news reporting. The approach warrants journalists to focus more on positive features in bad occurrences.
References
[1]
Albarracín, D., Zanna, M. P., Johnson, B. T., & Kumkale, G. T. (2005). Attitudes: Introduction and Scope. In D. Albarracín, B. T. Johnson, & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes (pp. 3-19). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
[2]
Anderson, C., Gentile, D., & Buckley, K. (2007). Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309836.001.0001
[3]
Arango-Kure, M., Garz, M., & Rott, A. (2014). Bad News Sells: The Demand for News Magazines and the Tone of Their Covers. Journal of Media Economics, 27, 199-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/08997764.2014.963230
[4]
Arowolo, O. S. (2017). Understanding Framing Theory. Lagos State University.
[5]
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad Is Stronger Than Good. Review of General Psychology, 4, 323-370. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323
[6]
Beckett, C. (2015). How Journalism Is Turning Emotional and What That Might Mean for News. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2015/09/10/how-journalism-is-turning-emotional-and-what-that-might-mean-for-news/
[7]
Beckett, C., & Deuze, M. (2016). On the Role of Emotion in the Future of Journalism. Social Media + Society, 2, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116662395
[8]
Bies, R. (2012). The 10 Commandments for Delivering Bad News. Forbes Leadership Forum Online. Forbes.
[9]
Bryant, J. & Zillmann, D. (1989). Perspectives on Media Effects. Routledge.
[10]
Cappella, J., & Jamieson, K. (1997). Spiral of Cynicism: The Press and the Public Good. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195090635.001.0001
[11]
Carretiéa, L., Mercadoa, F., Tapiaa, M., Hinojosab, J. A. (2001). Emotion, Attention, and the ‘Negativity Bias’, Studied through Event-Related Potentials. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 41, 75-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8760(00)00195-1
[12]
Castells-Fos, L., Pont-Sorribes, C., & Codina, L. (2022). Sustainable Journalism through the Concepts of Engagement and Relevance: A Scoping Review. Doxa Comunicación, 35, 19-38. https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n35a1627
[13]
Castells-Fos, L., Pont-Sorribes, C., & Codina, L. (2023). Decoding News Media Relevance and Engagement through Reputation, Visibility, and Audience Loyalty: A Scooping Review. Journalism Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2023.2239201
[14]
Cohen, B. C. (1963). The Press and the Foreign Policy. Princeton University Press.
[15]
Dhiman, B. (2023). Positive Journalism for Healthy and Happy Society: A Critical Review. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-87502-1
[16]
Edwards, H. (2017). From Negative Biases to Positive News: Resetting and Reframing News Consumption for a Better Life and a Better World. Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Project.
[17]
Egharevba, O. L., Davies, C. N., & Santas, T. (2023). Communication, Media and Society. University of Jos Press.
[18]
Enikolopov, R., & Petrova, M. (2017). Mass Media and Its Influence on Behaviour. CREI, Centre de Recercaen Economia Internacional.
[19]
Entman, R. (1993). Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43, 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x
[20]
Erzikova, E. (2018). Gatekeeping. In R. L. Heath, & W. Johansen, The International Encyclopedia of Strategic Communication. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119010722.iesc0080
[21]
Febrianingsih, D. & Chaer, M. (2018). Positive Psychology: Personalities, Major Issues, Advantages and Disadvantages. Muaddib: Studi Kependidikan dan Keislaman, 8, 34-53. https://doi.org/10.24269/muaddib.v8i1.1048
[22]
Ferreira, R. M. C. (2014). Media Effects on the Audience Attitudes and Behaviour. Matrizes, 8, 255-269.
[23]
Galician, M. L. (1986). Perceptions of Good News and Bad News on Television. Journalism Quarterly, 63, 611-616. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769908606300325
[24]
Gamson, W., & Modigliani, A. (1989). Media Discourse and Public Opinion on Nuclear Power: A Constructionist Approach. The American Journal of Sociology, 95, 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1086/229213
[25]
Grabe, M. E., & Kamhawi, R. (2006). Hard Wired for Negative News? Gender Differences in Processing Broadcast News. Communication Research, 33, 346-369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650206291479
[26]
Gyldensted, C. (2015). From Mirrors to Movers: Five Elements of Positive Psychology in Constructive Journalism. Lexington.
[27]
Harcup, T. (2004). Journalism. Sage Publications.
[28]
Harcup, T., & O’Neill, D. (2001). What Is News? Galtung and Ruge Revisited. Journalism Studies, 2, 261-280. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700118449
[29]
Hodges, B. H. (1974). Effect of Valence on Relative Weighting in Impression Formation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30, 378-381. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0036890
[30]
Holman, E. A., Garfin, D. R., & Silver, R. C. (2014). Media’s Role in Broadcasting Acute Stress Following the Boston Marathon Bombings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111, 93-98. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316265110
[31]
Hoog, D. M., & Verboon, P. (2019). Is the News Making Us Unhappy? The Influence of Daily News Exposure on Emotional States. British Journal of Psychology, 111, 157-173. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12389
[32]
Ijeh, P. N. (2023). Mass Communication and Society: The Symbiotic Link. West African Social and Management Sciences Review, 2, 117-140.
[33]
Isike, I., & Omotoso, S. A. (2017). Reporting Africa: The Role of the Media in (Un)Shaping Democratic Agenda. In A. Olukotun, & S. A. Omotoso (Eds.), Political Communication in Africa (pp. 209-227). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48631-4_13
[34]
Jackson, J. (2016). Publishing the Positive: Exploring the Motivations for and the Consequences of Reading Solutions-Focused Journalism. Master’s Thesis, University of East London. https://www.constructivejournalism.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/publishing-thepositive_ma-thesis-research-2016_jodie-jackson.pdf
[35]
Legg, M. A., & Sweeny, K. (2013). Do You Want the Good News or the Bad News First? The Nature and Consequences of News Order Preference. Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 279-288. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213509113
[36]
Levin, I. P., & Schmidt, C. F. (1969). Sequential Effects in Impression Formation with Binary Intermittent Responding. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 79, 283-287. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0027045
[37]
Lippmann, W. (1922). Public Opinion. Dover Publications.
[38]
Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and Personality. Harper.
[39]
McCombs, M. (2004). Setting the Agenda. Polity.
[40]
McIntyre, K. E. (2015). Constructive Journalism: The Effects of Positive Emotions and Solution Information in News Stories. Doctoral Dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
[41]
McIntyre, K. E., & Gibson, R. (2016). Positive News Makes Readers Feel Good: A “Silver-Lining” Approach to Negative News Can Attract Audiences. Southern Communication Journal, 81, 304-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2016.1171892
[42]
McIntyre, K. E., & Gyldensted, C. (2017). Constructive Journalism: Applying Positive Psychology Techniques to News Production. The Journal of Media Innovations, 4, 20-34. https://doi.org/10.5617/jomi.v4i2.2403
[43]
McNaughton-Cassill, M. E. (2001). The News Media and Psychological Distress. Anxiety Stress and Coping, 14, 193-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800108248354
[44]
Melnyk, I. et al. (2023). Good News—Bad News. Proportion between Positive and Negative Headlines in the Global News Feed (Based on the Google News Aggregator). Studies in Media and Communication, 11, 244-260. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v11i6.6146
[45]
Miller, J. W., & Rowe, P. M. (1967). Influence of Favourable and Unfavourable Information upon Assessment Decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 51, 432-435. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0025063
[46]
Ngange, K. L., & Elempia, F. D. (2019). Sensationalism in Journalism Practice: Analysis of Private and Public Print Media Coverage of Crisis Situations in Cameroon. Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism, 9, Article 1000411.
[47]
Ngange, K. L., & Mokondo, S. M (2019). Understanding Social Media’s Role in Propagating Falsehood in Conflict Situations: Case of the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis. Studies in Media and Communication, 7, 55-67. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v7i2.4525
[48]
Ngange, K. L., Wantchami, L. N., Mesumbe, N. N., & Mewoabi, T. S. (2020). Media Violence Reports on the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis: Implication on Buea Denizens. International Journal of Media, Journalism and Mass Communications, 6, 21-27. https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-9479.0601003
[49]
Niven, D. (2005). An Economic Theory of Political Journalism. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 82, 247-263. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769900508200202
[50]
Noorikhsan, F., Ramdhani, H., Sirait, B., & Khoerunisa, N. (2023). The Dynamics of the Internet, Social Media and Politics in the Contemporary Era: A Review of State-Society Relations. Journal of Political Issues, 5, 95-109. https://doi.org/10.33019/jpi.v5i1.131
[51]
Pan, Z., & Kosicki, G. (1993). Framing Analysis: An Approach to News Discourse. Political Communication, 10, 55-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.1993.9962963
[52]
Perse, M. E. (2001). Media Effects and Society. Lawrence Erlbaum. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410600820
[53]
Peterson, C., & Steen, T. (2009). Optimistic Explanatory Style. In S. J. Lopez, & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 313-321). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195187243.013.0029
[54]
Piotrkowski, C. S., & Brannen, S. J. (2002). Exposure, Threat Appraisal, and Lost Confidence as Predictors of PTSD Symptoms Following September 11, 2001. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72, 476-485. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.72.4.476
[55]
Potter, D., & Gantz, W. (2000). Bringing Viewers Back to Local TV. News Lab. https://newslab.org/bringing-viewers-back-to-local-tv-news/
[56]
Potter, W. J. (2012). Media Effects. Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781544308500
[57]
Potts, R., & Sanchez, D. (1994). Television Viewing and Depression: No News Is Good News. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 38, 79-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838159409364247
[58]
Proctor, M. J. (2021). An Investigation into Negative Television News and Its Psychological Effects on Viewers. Dundalk Institute of Technology.
[59]
Rossbach, A. (2017). Constructive Journalism: The Effects of Using Positive Psychology to Create Narratives in Modern-Day Journalism in Russia. Master’s Thesis, Saint Petersburg State University.
[60]
Rozin, P., & Royzman, E. B. (2001). Negativity Bias, Negativity Dominance, and Contagion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5, 296-320. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0504_2
[61]
Ruótolo, A. C. F. (1998). Audiência e recepção: Perspectivas. In Comunicação e Sociedade (pp. 159-170). UMESP.
[62]
Santos, R. J. (1992). O Que é Comunicação. Difusão Cultural.
[63]
Schachter S., & Singer J. E. (1962). Cognitive, Social, and Physiological Determinants of Emotional State. Psychological Review, 69, 379-399. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046234
[64]
Shoemaker, P. J. (1996). Hardwired for News: Using Biological and Cultural Evolution to Explain the Surveillance Function. Journal of Communication, 46, 32-47. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1996.tb01487.x
[65]
Shoemaker, P. J. (2006). News and Newsworthiness: A Commentary. Communications, 31. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun.2006.007
[66]
Shoemaker, P. J., & Vos, T. (2009). Gatekeeping Theory. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203931653
[67]
Skovsgaard, M., & Andersen, K. (2020). Conceptualising News Avoidance: Towards a Shared Understanding of Different Causes and Potential Solutions. Journalism Studies, 21, 459-476. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1686410
[68]
Soroka, S. (2006). Good News and Bad News: Asymmetric Responses to Economic Information. The Journal of Politics, 68, 372-385. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2508.2006.00413.x
[69]
Streitmatter, R. (2015). A Force for Good: How the American News Media Have Propelled Positive Change. Rowman & Littlefield
[70]
Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2007). Being the Best Bearer of Bad Tidings. Review of General Psychology, 11, 235-257. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.11.3.235
[71]
Thomason, M., & Connolly, S. (2021). What Does Engagement Look Like in a Media Studies Classroom? Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 18, 356-373.
[72]
Trussler, M., & Soroka, S. (2014). Consumer Demand for Cynical and Negative News Frames. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 19, 360-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161214524832
[73]
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2023). Applying Tools for Atrocity Prevention in Cameroon. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/blog/applying-tools-for-atrocity-prevention-in-cameroon
[74]
Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., Reddy, M., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2002). The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States. United States Secret Service and United States Department of Education.
[75]
White, D. (1950). The “Gate Keeper”: A Case Study in the Selection of News. Journalism Quarterly, 27, 383-390. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769905002700403
[76]
Williams, R. (2023). Why We Seem to Prefer Bad News over Good News. Medium. https://raybwilliams.medium.com/why-we-seem-to-prefer-bad-news-over-good-news-395968a3af4e
[77]
Zillmann, D., Chen, L., Knobloch, S., & Callison, C. (2004). Effects of Lead Framing on Selective Exposure to Internet News Reports. Communication Research, 31, 58-81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650203260201
