Unpacking Visuals: Images Enhance but Do Not Direct Framing Effects

• In Event: Advances in Framing Research: Experimentation

Abstract

Visuals in news media help define, or frame issues, but less is known about how they influence public opinion. This is important considering that powerful images evoke emotional responses which in turn can affect our judgments. Furthermore, only few studies have addressed the individual contribution of images and text when presented side by side, as they are in a typical news report. We use an experiment (N = 1082) to present images and text frames from war and conflict news in isolation and in image-text congruent and incongruent pairs. We find effects of our manipulations on participants’ emotional responses and support for a policy of military intervention. Results show that images alone generate stronger framing effects than text alone, and the effects of images are mediated by participants’ emotional response. When images and text are presented together, the frame carried by the text drives framing effects irrespective of the accompanying image. Inclusion of an image enhances the frame carried by the text, which affects participants’ support for military intervention via their emotional response. This study positions visuals within broader framing effects theory. The findings are instructive for those in the newsroom and can inform public and policymakers alike about the power of visuals to influence opinions.

Authors

• Tom Powell, University of Amsterdam

• Hajo G. Boomgaarden, U of Vienna

• Knut De Swert, U of Amsterdam

• Claes H. De Vreese, U of Amsterdam