TITLE:
Effects of Bad News Reports on Media Audience: What Implications for Journalism Practice in Cameroon?
AUTHORS:
Kingsley L. Ngange, Neville N. Mesumbe, Stephen N. Ndode
KEYWORDS:
Effects, Bad News Reports, Media Audience
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Journalism and Communication,
Vol.12 No.1,
March
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: 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.