Podcasting and constructive journalism in health stories about antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Abstract

COVID-19 showed the importance of trustworthy and accessible health information. News organisations increasingly introduced podcasting to keep their audiences informed. Podcasting's documented capacity for listener engagement makes it a pertinent medium to study another global public health threat – superbugs – through the lens of constructive journalism. Both constructive journalism and podcasting feature lived experiences of sources, in constructive journalism focused on empowering audiences to act. This practice-led research study is the first to explore how solutions-oriented journalism intersects with narrative podcasts. It demonstrates through the production of a podcast series about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), an affordance to tell complex and often scary health stories. It finds that podcasting can position individuals affected by AMR as sources of empowering information, rather than as victims. The study contributes new knowledge to constructive podcast journalism as an impactful approach in public health journalism, leveraging its potential to provide solutions to listeners and promote change.

Antibiotic-Resistant ESKAPE Pathogens and COVID-19: The Pandemic beyond the Pandemic

“…The impact that the pandemic had on resistance phenomena in Australia is not indicative since the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were avoided with an initial maximum suppression strategy [ 183 ]. Some authors report that constructive journalism, telling complex and scary stories in accessible ways, was crucial for listeners and may have promoted behavioral change around health issues [ 184 ].…”

The production and consumption of news podcasts

“…This practice-led study finds that the technique of narrating stories can build experiences that entail audience intimacy, which may increase positive attitudes and pro-social behaviour. The authors note the parasocial capacities of podcasts, which may increase constructive behaviours in public health (Lindgren and Jorgensen, 2023). Constructive journalism is proposed to increase audience engagement with, and trust in, news and information (van Antwerpen et al, 2022) and decrease negative emotions (Baden et al, 2019; Hermans and Prins, 2020; McIntyre and Gibson, 2016; McIntyre, 2017).…”

“…These constructive journalistic practices may be amplified in podcasting given its manner of engaging with audiences. Lindgren and Jorgensen's (2023) study seeks empirical evidence to explain how constructive journalism is practiced in podcasting, which requires more attention in journalism studies.…”