In a postbroadcast society with both online and offline news media widely available, there are many ways for an audience to (actively) consume news about distant suffering. This focus group study looks into the combined use of broadcast media (television) and a postbroadcast platform (Facebook) for watching disaster news. It is considered that the interactive possibilities offered online to watch and experience the news, combined with watching news on television, could possibly help in fostering a closer relation between a Western audience and the distant suffering. Informed by concepts from social and moral psychology, the findings show not only that personal narratives on social media have the potential to incite a more personal connection between the audience and the distant sufferer but also that this potential was not to be overestimated.
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