In the era of digital news, news overload and news avoidance represent novel crises confronting the field of journalism. However, most relevant studies are limited to case studies, and a clear understanding of the relationship between news overload and news avoidance has yet to be established. To address this gap, a meta-analysis of 17 papers (with 13,143 participants) was conducted. The results suggest that news avoidance is positively linked to news overload. Compared to developing countries (r = 0.282), the correlation between news overload and news avoidance is more significant in developed countries (r = 0.330). The correlation between news overload and news avoidance is more readily observable when using specific news topics (r = 0.425) and specified news platforms (r = 0.378) than general news topics (r = 0.236) and online/social media news platforms (r = 0.228). Behavioral measurement tools (r = 0.366) reveal a stronger correlation between news overload and news avoidance than psychological measurement tools (r = 0.194). The findings enhance the theoretical framework for crisis management in the news industry and offer valuable strategies for effectively addressing issues of news overload and news avoidance by audiences.
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