Adolescents' reaction to televised news

Abstract

There are very few studies in Malta dealing with television effects especially on the young viewer. This study explores the possible reaction by adolescents to a particular kind of broadcast, the news. The areas investigated include the context in which adolescents consume televised news, their interest and comprehension, and ultimately their reactions to the visual treatment and personal recollection of such broadcasts. The qualitative nature of the study was tackled using focus groups amongst 11 year-old and 15 year-old boys and gills chosen from different schools and conducted on school premises. A visual treatment comprising of a selection of news features from the prime-time bulletin on state television was used as a stimulus. Additional information was sought from the schools' administration. The results indicate an elevated interest in news, although the respondents were very selective in what they are interested and what they are prone to believe. Reactions towards visual news are significantly contained, probably due to the mediated environment offered at home where parents arc mostly available to answer queries. These reactions may also he cushioned by an elevated sense of security evoked by both physical and psychological remoteness to the visuals captured in news. Although very few elements of media education arc present in the schools' curricula, we observed a basic level of media lireracy across all respondents, with an elevated level observable in two particular groups.