Emotional Reporting Chaos in the Process of Online Media Communication and Its Psychological Impact—A Case Study of the Chongqing Bus Plunge Incident
Abstract
With the rapid development of online media, the phenomenon of emotional reporting has become increasingly prominent, becoming a major issue that disrupts the order of information dissemination and affects public cognition. To pursue traffic effects, some media deliberately adopt exaggerated narratives, oppositional frameworks, and even false information, leading to serious deviations in the public opinion environment. Taking the 2018 Chongqing bus plunge incident as a typical case, this paper systematically analyzes the presentation methods, formation mechanisms of emotional reporting at different stages of the incident, and its negative impacts on public psychology and social trust, combined with the "primacy effect" and "spiral of silence" theories in news psychology. Furthermore, the study proposes targeted countermeasures from three dimensions: media responsibility, public literacy, and platform governance, aiming to provide theoretical reference and practical paths for building a rational and healthy online communication ecology.
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