How Legacy Media Set the Tone? Assessing Negativity Bias and Agenda-Setting in Honduran Front Pages

Background

Some critics have raised concerns about the risks associated with the historically
concentrated power in Honduras’ legacy mass media. The 2009 coup d’état marked a turning point, prompting audiences to increasingly turn to social media and alternative news sources for information. These critics have emphasized how legacy media shape the public sphere. However, there is limited scholarly evidence examining negativity bias and agenda-setting in Honduras’ media
ecosystem.

Objetive

• To what extent does negativity bias influence the front pages in Honduran legacy media?
• How do Honduran legacy media prioritize the headlines’ position on their front pages?
• What is the predominant editorial tone of legacy media front pages’ headlines?

Methodology

• Quantitative Content Analysis
• 166 front pages: 1st – 31st Jan-2024
• 4 categories coding book
• Krippendorff’s Alpha α= 0.89

Figure 1. Number of crime headlines on front pages

Results

RQ1
1,121 headlines analyzed

• 3% (n=32) positive news
• 25% (n=283) negative
• 20% (n=210) political

RQ2
From 166 main headlines, 44.6% (n=74) were political

Crime second place.

RQ3
7 out of 10 headlines used a neutral tone

Neutral tone still shapes the public opinion

Conclusions/Recomendations

Negativity bias dominates editorial decisions regarding content definition and prioritization, as 25% of headlines are related to crime (negative). Meanwhile, political news remains highly prominent on Honduran front pages, often framed as a prevailing issue in main headlines

The neutral tone (70%) is not the same as impartiality or balance. Media can still shape public opinion in a very subtle way. This study offers a snapshot of the Honduras mass media ecosystem, providing theoretical and practical implications for the Global South.