The Impact of Constructive Television Journalism on the Audience: Results from an Online Study

Abstract

Hitherto no study has investigated the impact of constructive television journalism on affections and cognition of adult viewers. Having conducted a quasi-experimental online survey in cooperation with West German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR), this paper attempts to close this gap. To measure the impact a sample of 480 people were exposed to three differently emotionalizing news topics. For each of them, three item variations were created. They consist of an individual solution, a meta-solution, and no solution. The study shows that constructive TV-pieces have a positive emotional effect on viewers. This finding is particularly pronounced for news items with an individual solution. The comparison of the results for item variations with a meta-solution or no solution did not yield conclusive evidence. Negative emotions are reduced in news items that contain individual or meta-solutions. This effect is weaker for the latter when compared to news items without solutions.