Abstract
My paper examines the increased emphasis on positive news stories as a fatigue response to negative news about crime, accidents, and doom. Research shows that negative news stories have a 60 percent higher click rate than positive ones and is a source of significant stress in their lives. Good news is juxtaposed as an antidote to the fatigue of negative news and thus there is the emergence of a dichotomy. In my study, I excavate this vexed relationship between positive and negative news, showing how the increasing polarity between them is creating a dangerous trend. Too much emphasis on the emotions around news waters down the public service role of journalism and lamentably news becomes another source of entertainment. I conjecture that news stories have shrunken in length, there are less long-form articles, resulting in less research, analysis, and revelations about trends. Thus, my presentation emphasizes the need for meaningful news, which sustains journalism’s duty as the fourth pillar of democracy and influences public perception and knowledge instead of focusing overwhelmingly on the emotion it elicits. By combining a critical examination of commentaries, op-eds, data-driven research of journalism experts, journalism theories and praxis, my research provides new insights that contextualize the debate around the emotions of needs and advocate for more balanced and nuanced news production model. It also bridges the gap between research about the emotional impact of news and the principles of journalism, thereby influencing both newsroom practices as well as journalism pedagogy.
Presenters
Bijoyeta Sahoriya DasAssociate Professor and Director of Journalism Program, Journalism/English Department, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MEDIA, CULTURE, MEANINGFUL
