News coverage is the reporting of significant, often unexpected events and provides audiences with real-time updates. When an event is breaking, journalists often need to act quickly and verify information while balancing the urgency of reporting with audience expectations for speed and accuracy.
The framing and structure of a story can impact how audiences interpret an event, especially when the message is negative. For example, if a story emphasizes the number of fatalities in an attack on civilians or highlights a particular viewpoint, it can skew perceptions of the event. Similarly, what the media chooses not to report can also affect public perceptions of an issue. A 2014 study found that people who consume a lot of news often perceive cancers that are frequently discussed in the media (such as brain cancer) to be far more common than they actually are, while those that are rarely reported on (such as male reproductive cancers) are seen as occurring much less frequently.
Negative news can have long-term effects on the health and wellbeing of individuals. For instance, researchers have linked exposure to four or more hours of news coverage about the 9/11 attacks to higher rates of heart disease and other cardiovascular problems in the years following the event.
In addition to influencing how people perceive the world around them, the type of news they consume can have a direct impact on their moods and emotions. For instance, many of the young adults Don Grant, PhD, works with through Newport Academy treatment centers and his Los Angeles-based private practice experience high levels of stress related to negative news coverage.