Abstract

First photography and then television have persistently reflected suffering, sorrow and death. In this paper I intend to review some of the theories which explain such an interest. Then I will approach the moral debate about what the media should o shoud not show regarding cases of suffering, violence and death. The most important part of this paper is about the effects that certain images of suffering and death have on viewers and on the whole society. These reflections have made me come to two conclusions: In the new context which sorrounds informative television, where images often become mere merchandise at the consumer’s service, the effects which the images of suffering, sorrow or death may have on people are utterly unpredictable. In spite of that, I believe in the necessity of such images –without giving in to sensationalism– as a means of vigilance and control, which is indispensable in modern democracies.

Abstract

Missing children pose to journalists the challenge of reporting on facts that offer high human interest, but this requires rigor and caution. Media coverage can exploit the emotional components of the event in order to increase the audience or it can cooperate with the investigation by facilitating citizen collaboration and avoiding speculation. This paper examines the key features in this kind of news and information for this article is drawn from the study of four Spanish newspapers’ (El país, ABC, La vanguardia, and El periódico) coverage about the 15 missing cases reported in the SOS Desaparecidos association’s website –which all occurred between 1977 and 2015. The analysis detects an unequal amount of media attention paid to the disappearances and a predominantly sensationalist approach.

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has confined millions of citizens in their homes. The situation of isolation has many consequences at multiple levels: social, psychological, economic, educational..., and also communicative. Based on a survey to 1,122 people during the most severe confinement phase, this article aims to analyze how information consumption has been modified during this period of time, and how citizens assess media coverage of Covid-19. The results show citizenship get more news and more frequently than before the health crisis. All in all, citizens maintain a critical attitude towards media coverage of the outbreak, which is, according to the results, conditioned by the media ideology, and reported in a sensationalist way, generating unnecessary social alarm.