International Journal of Communication

Publishes a Special Section on
News Media and the Emotional Public Sphere 

This Special Section on “News Media and the Emotional Public Sphere” brings together six original papers (plus an editorial introduction) on current research on news media and emotions and their influence on the dynamics of the public sphere. The concept of the emotional dimension of the political public sphere sheds light on the mobilizing power of civic reactions to anti-austerity measures, immigration flows, or fake news. In addition, media framing of those reactions plays a crucial role in contemporary social and political life.

This Special Section focuses on the twofold primary question: What is the role of emotions in the production and reception of news, and what are the implications of emotion-related journalistic practices and narratives for the Public Sphere?

These articles investigate a wide range of topics, such as freedom of speech, online politics, protest coverage, the European financial crisis, the value of emotionality in the news, and the sharing of news. All six articles have important implications for the understanding of how news media shape the way emotions are framed and communicated to the public.

Furthermore, this Special Sections highlights the importance of the emotional dimension of the public sphere to understand why traditional, rationalistic perspectives on both the media and the public sphere do not suffice to capture the complexities of social and political life in contemporary democracies.

To access these papers, please Ctrl+Click on the article titles below for direct linking or go to ijoc.org.  We look forward to your feedback.

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News Media and the Emotional Public Sphere – Introduction
Omar V. Rosas, Javier Serrano-Puche 

The Emotional Public Sphere and Its Importance: Freedom of Speech as a Case Study
Barry Richards

Public Sphere Participation Online: The Ambiguities of Affect – Commentary
Peter Dahlgren

Toward a Typology of Mediated Anger: Routine Coverage of Protest and Political Emotion
Karin Wahl-Jorgensen

The Emotional Economy of the European Financial Crisis in the UK Press
Tereza Capelos, Theofanis Exadaktylos, Stavroula Chrona, Maria Poulopoulou 

Strategic Avoidance and Strategic Use: A Look Into Spanish Online Journalists’ Attitudes Toward Emotions in Reporting
Omar V. Rosas

Audience as Medium: Motivations and Emotions in News Sharing
Alberto Dafonte-Gómez

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Larry Gross
Editor                                             

Arlene Luck
Managing Editor

Omar V. Rosas, Javier Serrano-Puche
Guest Editors