How the media’s obsession with news values may have just killed gigs
Mainstream news media will do whatever it takes to get a good story, but has focus on negativity in the COVID pandemic scared us from big crowds once and for all?
The Coronavirus pandemic has seen not one news free day since the beginning of last year. News outlets report not just on vaccine research and government guidelines, but jump to report death and infection rates daily, updating us of the scale of the pandemic through various platforms. It’s extremely difficult to escape the constant flow of negative coverage and information.
News media largely focuses on making sure as many people engage in their content as they can. To do this, there is a large consensus on following news values that helps maximise their attention. The BBC themselves explored the psychological choices made by journalists when they seek to maximise readership. Looking at an eye-tracking experiment carried out at McGill University in Canada, it was found that ‘participants often chose stories with a negative tone — corruption, set-backs, hypocrisy and so on — rather than neutral or positive stories.’ It was found that we respond quicker to negativity and threat, as we feel as if we need to act in the event of these events. It was also found that negative news is more memorable, and thus can be used in more news articles.
These journalistic choices are largely evident in coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. News outlets including Sky News and BBC News send out breaking news notifications for infection rates and new deaths from COVID-19 daily, and national restriction announcements follow interviews and analyses about the ‘negative impact’ these will have on the economy and people’s lives. Rightly so, it is true that this constant flow of negative information and daily reporting of worrying figures is concerning many. Social distancing and enhanced hygiene measures are now largely engrained into our minds and it’s possible that many are going to find it really difficult to adjust back to normal in the coming months, as the media continues to induce fear and panic.
In a study on media exposure to COVID-19 information in China, it was found that those exposed to and perceiving more risks reported high levels of anxiety and that the role of the media can largely affect mental health, with those living in areas with cases reported having higher stress levels. Concert anxiety can be bad at the best of times, but during the pandemic, countless articles have appeared weighing up the pros and cons of whether it is safe to go to gigs and concerts. The Save Our Venues campaign raising money to save venues impacted by the pandemic both big and small was largely successful, but there have been fears that without a return to live music this year, the industry could end up decimated.
‘Even if 75% of a fanbase are raring to get back to gigs, 25% are understandably sceptical’, argues one Guardian columnist, and that’s still a lot of people. One pop newcomer said virtual concerts are ‘anxiety inducing’, with some taking to them more naturally than others. As reports from experts and harrowing government figures warn us to not mix in large groups, in press conferences almost unheard of since the war, many may never feel comfortable in large crowds again.
Concerts are a lifeline for musicians struggling with online sales, but if nationwide vaccine rollout isn’t delivered as promised, many musicians will wonder where to go, already struggling with online music sales and streaming revenue. Many have already been battling with online streaming industries, with some asking Spotify to triple its payments to artists to cover a loss of concert revenue, with some analysts suggesting that artists receive just £2.74 per 1000 streams.
Whilst vaccine rollout and restriction easing appears to be the saving grace for musicians, many wonder whether this will be enough, as media frenzies and news reports focus on the widespread disruption caused by the pandemic, and daily reporting of deaths and infections that would not normally be reported with illnesses that have not caused an economic recession and curbs on our freedoms. And it’s not just news media that adds to these concerns. Social media posts from frontline workers and graphic content from inside hospitals plead people to do their part to stop the spread, with a collation of negative information spreading like wildfire online. One tweet from a journalist shared footage from an Italian hospital showing waiting rooms and emergency wards full with COVID patients comparing this to how the UK ‘will see this too’.
One thing is for sure, whilst COVID is severe and causing many deaths, the constant flow of negative media coverage and news reports is adding mounting anxiety to those already sceptical at the prospect to returning to normal life.
