ABSTRACT

The coronavirus pandemic dominated headlines at the same time that mainstream news organizations began adding more podcasts to their digital storytelling platforms. This popular form of audio journalism appears to be unrestricted by traditional journalism practices and constraints of deadlines and space. Few academic studies thus far have examined the characteristics of news podcasts (i.e., shows created by professional news organizations) and where they fit within the journalism landscape. Through a content analysis of 40 news podcast episodes related to the coronavirus pandemic, this study explores the extent to which narrative storytelling devices (voice, character development, scene setting, dialogue, dramatic tension), and other elements, such as opinion, were incorporated into the sample. Results show all but one episode utilized narrative storytelling elements, but the degree of editing and production varied widely. Results also demonstrate an overall shift away from journalistic norms of objectivity and toward interpretive reporting in this emerging format. Reporters and hosts often appear as both characters and experts in the episodes, and narrative elements serve to emphasize storytelling over content.

摘要

冠状病毒大流行占据了头条新闻，与此同时，主流新闻机构开始在其数字叙事平台上添加更多播客。这种流行的音频新闻形式似乎不受传统新闻实践以及截止日期和空间的限制。迄今为止，很少有学术研究考察了新闻播客（即由专业新闻机构制作的节目）的特征以及它们在新闻领域中的位置。通过对与冠状病毒大流行相关的 40 个新闻播客剧集的内容分析，本研究探讨了叙事叙事手段（声音、角色发展、场景设置、对话、戏剧张力）和其他元素（如观点）的结合程度进入样品。结果显示，除了一集之外，所有剧集都使用了叙事叙事元素，但编辑和制作的程度差异很大。结果还表明，从客观的新闻规范转向以这种新兴格式进行解释性报道的总体转变。记者和主持人通常在剧集中既是角色又是专家，叙事元素的作用是强调讲故事而不是内容。