The Effects of Human Interest and Conflict News Frames on the Dynamics of Political Knowledge Gains: Evidence from a Cross‐national Study

Abstract

A well‐functioning democracy needs the news media to provide information to its citizens. It is therefore essential to understand what kinds of news contents contribute to gains in citizens' political knowledge and for whom this takes place. Extant research is divergent on this matter, especially with respect to ‘softer’ news coverage. This cross‐national study investigates the effects of exposure to human interest and conflict frames in the news on political knowledge. Drawing on panel surveys and media content analyses in three countries, the study shows how these two frames contribute positively to political knowledge gain. This relationship is moderated by political interest so that those who are least interested learn the most from this type of easily accessible news coverage. The results are discussed in the light of research on news media and knowledge acquisition.

Behavioral Effects of Framing on Social Media Users: How Conflict, Economic, Human Interest, and Morality Frames Drive News Sharing

“…To the degree that involvement is a prerequisite for sharing, it is not surprising that the economic frame depresses shares while the morality frame increases them. Nevertheless, we have to be cautious in drawing inferences about which specific frames do or do not promote news involvement, as extant research is rather contradictory (cf., Jebril et al, ; Valkenburg, Semetko, & de Vreese, ). Thus, a possible future research theme emerging from the current study is the need to study in more detail the nature and significance of the mediators of framing effects on news sharing.…”

“…The virality potential of this frame is consistent with research showing that it is effective in triggering emotional arousal. Jebril, de Vreese, Dalen, and Albæk () found that the human interest frame was associated with learning from the news, and explained that this was especially true for those who are aroused by the personal, softer aspect of otherwise hard news. In addition to the arousal explanation, it could be argued that the human interest angle influences news sharing by increasing people's psychological engagement with the news.…”

How News Type Matters

“…For example, Moy, Xenos, and Hess (2005) found that watching late-night comedy increased the intention to vote and discuss politics, but more for political sophisticates than for others. Pointing in the other direction, Jebril, de Vreese, Van Dalen, HOW NEWS TYPE MATTERS 20 and Albaek (2013) found that political interest moderates the effect of human-interest framing on knowledge, having the largest effect on the least interested. Future studies should consider such moderating factors in regard to the psychological processes leading from media use to political participation.…”

Experientially learning how to communicate science effectively: A case study on decoding science

“…Speaking with confidence and reducing apprehension is an oft mentioned initial step, covered across public speaking courses and texts (Pearson, DeWitt, Child, Kahl, & Dandamudi, ; Raja, ). The use of human‐interest stories can be useful for gaining audience attention (Jebril, Vreese, Dalen, & Albæk, ; Valkenburg, Semetko, & De Vreese, ). It is important to recognize that audiences do not often come equipped with the vocabulary, experiences, or even at times, the motivation to understand and value the messages that STEM scientists want to convey (Besley & Tanner, ; Johnson & Hamernik, ; Kahan et al, ).…”