Podcasting the Pandemic: Exploring Storytelling Formats and Shifting Journalistic Norms in News Podcasts Related to the Coronavirus

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus pandemic dominated headlines at the same time that mainstream news organizations began adding more podcasts to their digital storytelling platforms. This popular form of audio journalism appears to be unrestricted by traditional journalism practices and constraints of deadlines and space. Few academic studies thus far have examined the characteristics of news podcasts (i.e., shows created by professional news organizations) and where they fit within the journalism landscape. Through a content analysis of 40 news podcast episodes related to the coronavirus pandemic, this study explores the extent to which narrative storytelling devices (voice, character development, scene setting, dialogue, dramatic tension), and other elements, such as opinion, were incorporated into the sample. Results show all but one episode utilized narrative storytelling elements, but the degree of editing and production varied widely. Results also demonstrate an overall shift away from journalistic norms of objectivity and toward interpretive reporting in this emerging format. Reporters and hosts often appear as both characters and experts in the episodes, and narrative elements serve to emphasize storytelling over content.

KEYWORDS:

• Narrative journalism
• storytelling
• news podcasts
• journalism norms
• digital journalism
• objectivity
• coronavirus

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.