The Effects of Melodramatic Animation in Crime-Related News

Abstract

An experiment with 187 college students as participants was conducted to investigate the effects of the use of melodramatic animation in crime-related news. The results of path analyses suggested that the viewers' experience of presence was related to the intensity of negative perceptions of the suspect portrayed in crime news and their confidence in assessing the suspect as guilty. However, a diverse result was found for the influence of the use of melodramatic animation in the news on presence, with regard to different news categories. The practical and ethical issues regarding the use of this news format are discussed.