Short‐Term Effects of Media Reports on Terrorism That Are Consistent vs. Not Consistent with Media Recommendations on Mass Shootings: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Media recommendations for the reporting of events where one person or a small group kills multiple others in public settings have been developed recently by suicide prevention experts. Evidence on the effects of reports that are compliant or noncompliant with these recommendations is lacking. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial with n = 148 participants who were randomly assigned to read newspaper articles (A) on acts of terrorism assumed to be conducted by Islamist terrorists and not consistent with media recommendations, (B) the same articles differing only in their compliance with recommendations, or (C) articles of similar style that were about homicide. Islamophobia as well as suicidal ideation, stress, and mood were measured before reading the article (T1), immediately afterwards (T2), and one week later (T3). The primary hypothesis was that there is an increase in islamophobia after exposure to media portrayals not consistent with media recommendations. Results: Compared to the control group, only participants reading media reports that were not consistent with media recommendations showed a short-term increase in islamophobia. Conclusion: These findings suggest that reporting on terrorism that is not consistent with media recommendations appears to increase islamophobia. In the context of reporting on Islamist terrorism, consistency with recommendations might help reduce negative attitudes toward Muslim minorities. Terrorism is becoming an increasingly important public health issue in Western countries. Although only 2.6% of all deaths from terrorism currently occur in Western countries (Alcala, Sharif, & Samari, 2017), and the total of 68 people who died from acts ZRINKA LAIDO, BENEDIKT TILL, AND

Psychological Aspects of Media Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Healthcare and Pharmacy Specialists in Lithuania

“…It is known that stressogenic information in the media tends to have stressogenic effects [ 5 , 6 ]. Yet in an uncertain critical situation, when a lack of clarity becomes universal, stressogenic information might even have a stronger effect on the well-being [ 3 , 7 ].…”