Perceptions of Imagery in Tragic News: A Comparative Study of News Audiences

The visual portrayal of tragic events in news media has been widely debated. While some scholars advocate for the occasional use of graphic imagery, others support the exclusive publication of non-graphic or sanitized images to shield the audience. To address this controversy, ample research has focused on the perspectives of journalism professionals. However, little attention has been given to how audiences perceive these different portrayals. To better understand their opinions and feelings towards the visual representation of tragedies in news, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews (N = 25). Participants were recruited from Mexico and Germany due to their contrasting sociocultural contexts and the distinctive methods of reporting and portraying tragic incidents. Findings indicate that reactions and opinions to news images are influenced by the viewer's news consumption habits, the narrative context of the stories, and the content of the images themselves. In addition, Mexicans and Germans held contrasting views on which images should be published, highlighting the need for journalists to consider the specific sensitivities and needs of different populations.