That’s so immoral! Investigating the effects of moral violations reported in the form of (in)complete moral dyads in news articles on emotions and memory

Abstract

As journalists are expected to report on events where expectations and rules are transgressed, they often report on moral violations (such as murder, tax evasion, or unjust political decisions). Exposed to journalistic reports on violations of their moral principles, individuals instantly feel that these actions are wrong. According to theories of morality, immorality perceptions are associated with specific cognitive and affective reactions. In two studies, we used the concept of a moral dyad to (a) define moral news content and (b) analyze emotional reactions and memory effects of intuitive perceptions of immorality. In both studies, immorality led to higher levels of anger and compassion, but impaired memory with effects hinging on perception of immorality. These perceptions further did not differ across different presentations of dyads. Our findings show the usefulness to employ a lens of morality to look at the entire news production and reception process.