The news media is a powerful tool that has the potential to shape the way we view the world around us, hold governments accountable and reach the masses with critical information. But, it is also becoming increasingly obvious that the modern news media has a dark side that can be dangerous to our well-being. Research has shown that negative news causes anxiety and even PTSD-like symptoms in consumers and promotes polarization among readers. Even more worryingly, the negative content often spreads much faster than fact-checked stories. In order to overcome this, we must be both vigilant fact-checkers and deeply conscious of the impact that our media consumption has on our emotions and perceptions of the world.
Breaking News
Breaking news is the instant reporting of a current event, such as natural disasters, political upheavals, accidents or major public incidents. On-the-scene reporting enhances breaking news coverage by allowing journalists to gather real-time information and provide crucial details to their audiences, such as eyewitness accounts or live footage of an event.
Framing
News framing is the creation of a narrative for a story, which influences how audiences interpret and understand it. For example, if the media covers homelessness as an epidemic in every city and examines the factors that cause it, the audience may be more sympathetic towards the issue than if the media frames the topic as a local problem with limited solutions.