Emotional journalism emerges as an original phenomenon of the modern media space, functioning on the basis of the intentional use of emotional factors to attract audience attention, shape perceptions of events, and enhance cognitive-affective engagement with informational content. Unlike traditional informational journalism, aimed at the objective presentation of facts, emotional journalism emphasizes subjective experience and emotional impact. The results of the analysis of scientific research demonstrate the ambivalent role of emotional journalism within media processes: on the one hand, it ensures deeper audience involvement and strengthens empathic perception; on the other hand, it creates risks of reality distortion and weakens critical thinking. Theoretical concepts such as framing, emotional engagement, dual coding, and affective intelligence allow for a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms through which emotional content influences public opinion, which gains particular relevance in the context of the hybrid challenges faced by Ukraineʼs contemporary information environment.
Zmiievska et al. (Mon,) studied this question.