Content and Responses (IAMCR/Wiley), this event responds to the growing global interest among media professionals and scholars in the intersection of journalism and emotion. Both the handbook and the pre-conference highlight an expanding body of research spanning multiple disciplines, theoretical perspectives, and cultural contexts, emphasizing the central role emotions play in journalistic practice and audience engagement. Once seen as incompatible with objectivity and impartiality (Orgeret, 2020), emotions are now recognized as fundamental to perception, understanding, and communication, shaping both news production and reception. This «emotional turn» in journalism studies (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2020) underscores the inevitable and constructive influence of emotion in the field.
The pre-conference invites submissions from professionals and scholars across television, film, radio, press, and digital media. It welcomes proposals that explore the role of emotions in journalism through diverse theoretical frameworks—including sociological, historical, psychological, and professional perspectives—to shed light on how emotions influence news conception, production, and reception.
The pre-conference also encourages production studies that analyze how emotions shape journalistic practices, from editorial decision-making to narrative construction. Additionally, it seeks contributions on emotion as a storytelling device, particularly in examining how journalists’ emotional engagement affects source relationships, narrative framing, and audience connection. Furthermore, it welcomes research on how audiences emotionally respond to journalistic content across media platforms. By integrating these perspectives, this meeting aims to foster dynamic discussions and inspire further inquiry into this critical and evolving aspect of journalism studies.
This conference welcomes scholars at all career stages. It seeks original and creative academic contributions that showcase the broad range of methodologies (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, digital) used in this emergent field. Abstract submissions should explicitly address journalistic media (e.g., newspapers, social media, television) and emotions/affects. Both theoretical and empirical studies are welcome, provided they align with the pre-conference’s key themes in one of the following areas: production, content, audience reception, or pedagogies.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
- Journalists and emotional labor
- Audience’s emotional reactions to journalistic pieces
- Studies focusing on specific emotions—such as joy, fear, or anxiety—in relation to journalistic works
- New technologies and their impact on emotions
- Cross-cultural differences in the use and experience of emotions in journalism or journalistic content
- Emotional content in news and journalistic media
- Virtual agents and emotion delivery
- Emotional hype in the production and reception of news content
- Traumatic events and journalistic coverage
- Experiences of journalists in conflict environments
- Ethics of emotional appeal in journalism
- Sensationalism vs responsible reporting
- Affective polarization in news reporting
- Empathy and compassion in journalism
- Social media virality and emotional contagion
- Gendered dimensions of emotional labor in journalism
- Humor and satire in journalism
- Artificial intelligence and affective journalism
- Emotions in journalism education and training
- Emotions in specific fields of journalism such as sports or crime journalism
- Emotions in specific forms of journalism such as social media, podcasts, etc.
- Emotional appeals in journalistic works.
The organizers especially encourage submissions from early career researchers and those based in Global South countries.
