Negativity in political news can leave us feeling anxious or even angry about the state of our political climate, tracing back to a common psychological tendency: the negativity bias.
How has negativity in political news been conceptualized?
Lengauer et al. (2011) clarified the concept of negativity in political news by distinguishing between actor-related negativity and frame-related negativity.
Actor-related negativity “manifests itself in portrayals of political actors’ individual performance (i.e., of parties, candidates)” (Lengauer et al., 2011, p. 189).
In contrast, frame-related negativity “originates from characteristics of the narrative overall structure (generic frames)” (Lengauer et al., 2011, p. 189).
Unsplash, 2023
Frame-related negativity is further broken down into directional and non-directional forms.
Directional negativity “draws on news framing that explicitly involves an accuser and addressee,” reflecting confrontation (Lengauer et al., 2011).
Non-directional negativity includes framing tools such as positive or negative tone and an optimistic or pessimistic outlook, which influence the storyline (Lengauer et al., 2011).
The Negativity Bias
“Negativity bias has been identified as a core psychological mechanism when individuals process information such as news” (Anderson et al., 2024).
Negativity bias is defined as “relative strength of negative over positive,” meaning people tend to give more weight to negative experiences, information, and emotions than to positive ones (Soroka & McAdams, 2015).
Watch this interview with John Tierney, a contributing author of The Power of Bad: How The Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. In key moments, Tierney discusses The Positivity Ratio and The Pollyanna Effect.
How Negativity in Political News Impacts Audiences
“Negativity bias is one of the most salient features of news reporting…this bias can foster anxiety about societal issues among news audiences” (Anderson et al., 2024).
The 24/7 news cycle, filled with sensational headlines, celebrity scandals, and political conflicts, can leave audiences feeling cynical.
News organizations can capitalize on that, prioritizing negative content that triggers stronger emotional reactions.
Final Thoughts
By comparing these concepts, I gained a better understanding of how our psychological biases influence modern news media. It’s important for audiences to recognize that political coverage can portray the world negatively. To counteract this, doing individual research is essential for creating a balanced and realistic perspective.
John Tierney, highlighted in the video above, explains the Positivity Ratio, which can help determine an individual’s level of happiness. Being informed about the happenings of our nation is important, but not at the expense of one’s happiness.
…avoiding bad is so much more important than doing good.
Words of John Tierney (ReasonTV, 2020)
Keywords: negativity, political news, negativity effect, negativity bias, concept explication
References
Andersen, K., Djerf-Pierre, M., & Shehata, A. (2024). The Scary World Syndrome: News Orientations, Negativity Bias, and the Cultivation of Anxiety. Mass Communication & Society, 27(3), 502–524. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/10.1080/15205436.2023.2297829
Lengauer, G., Esser, F., & Berganza, R. (2011). Negativity in political news: A review of concepts, operationalizations, and key findings. Journalism, 13(2), 179-202. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884911427800
ReasonTV. (2020, January 2). The ‘Negativity Effect’ Leads to Bad Journalism, Big Government, and Busted Relationships [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGScY0QADnY
Soroka, S., & McAdams, S. (2015). News, Politics, and Negativity. Political Communication, 32(1), 1–22. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/10.1080/10584609.2014.881942
Lindsay Ashford 