The effects of constructive journalism techniques on mood, comprehension, and trust

Bibliographic Data

ID7477464
AuthorsNatasha Van Antwerpen (0000-0002-1886-4603, The University of Adelaide, corresponding author), Rachel A Searston (The University of Adelaide), Deborah Turnbull (0000-0002-7116-7073, The University of Adelaide), Liesbeth Hermans (0000-0003-4986-9156, Constructive Journalism Media Research Centre, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands), Petra Kovačević (0000-0003-1136-0573, Journalism Studies, Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, UK)
Year2022
Volume24
Issue10
Pages2294-2317
Publication date2022-05-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14648849221105778
OpenAlexW4281747685
LanguageEN
Citations received27
References cited41

The role of news media in the perpetuation of misinformation has faced increasing scrutiny. Concerns have been raised about news media’s negative influence on mental health, increasing news avoidance, and decreasing trust in news. Constructive journalism is proposed to increase engagement with and trust in news media, reduce the mental health impact of news consumption, and provide a more accurate view of the world. However, constructive journalism studies primarily investigate the inclusion of solutions and positive emotions in news stories, to the exclusion of other techniques. Additionally, few studies have investigated constructive journalism’s effects on trust and comprehension. We used a randomised-controlled repeated-measures experimental design to investigate the effects of a comprehensive set of constructive journalism techniques on mood, comprehension, and trust among 238 Australian participants. Participants who read constructive articles reported higher positive emotion, and lower negative emotion, compared to participants who read the same articles without constructive features. However, participants in the constructive condition demonstrated worse comprehension than participants in the control, an effect partially mediated by negative emotion but not effort. No significant differences in trust in journalism as an institution or in article content were present between groups. However, when accounting for interest, constructive journalism demonstrated a significant negative effect on trust in the information, though positive where it increased mood. Further research is needed to calibrate techniques which balance the positive effects of constructive journalism with its ability to convey information

Comprehension · Constructive · Journalism · Media studies · Mood · Political science · Process (computing · Public relations · Scrutiny · Set (abstract data type · Sociology · Computer Science · Media Influence and Health · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Law · Social Psychology

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