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Abstract

This experiment examined the impact of photo–text congruency regarding solutions journalism. We tested the effects of solution and conflict-oriented news stories when the photo paired with the story was congruent or incongruent with the narrative. Results revealed that a solution-oriented story with a congruent photo made readers feel the most positive, but surprisingly readers were most interested in the story and reported the strongest behavioral intentions when the story was paired with a neutral photo.

Keywords

solutions journalism visuals news photos message congruency experiment

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Solutions in the Shadows: The Effects of Photo and Text Congruency in Solutions Journalism News Stories

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