The Handbook of Journalism and Emotion
María T. Soto-Sanfiel (Editor), Virpi Salojärvi (Editor)
ISBN: 978-1-394-16941-2
Title of chapter 28: Emotion over the airwaves: Considering nuances in linguistic and production choices in African radio news through the affective news framework
Authors: S. Nkoala, C. Chan-Metoo & M. Fosu
Abstract: Radio, with its emotive power, shapes perceptions and engages audiences deeply. In Africa, where it remains a primary information source and the medium that fosters the greatest linguistic diversity, radio broadcasts evoke empathy and ignite conversations, reflecting local contexts. Through sound, broadcasters craft indigenous language narratives that profoundly evoke emotions from empathy to excitement, shaping public opinion. This chapter explores the influence of radio news on emotions across differing African countries. Through a comparative analysis of radio news reports in Mauritius, Ghana, and South Africa, it explores how journalistic choices shape emotional impact and objectives. Beginning with the significance of radio journalism in Africa, it highlights a gap in scholarship regarding language’s emotive role through this medium. Then, utilising the affective news framework, it assesses the linguistic and production choices of selected stations to show how seemingly minor choices in translation can significantly impact the emotional response evoked and that in their selection and editing of soundbites, journalists shape the emotional tone of the news, challenging the notion of pure objectivity while aiming to engage listeners. In a volume on news and emotions, this chapter aims to enhance the existing affective news framework by providing insights into how linguistic and production choices evoke emotions with linguistically diverse African radio news programmes as the focus.
Keywords: Radio, Emotions, News, South Africa, Affective News, Mauritius, Ghana