Authors :
Lufeyo Chitondo; Martin Mutabazi Mugisha
Volume/Issue :
Volume 7 - 2022, Issue 2 - February
Google Scholar :
http://bitly.ws/gu88
Scribd :
https://bit.ly/34Uuhvi
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6086026
Abstract :
One of the main role of media is to inform the
public, to educate, to offer opportunities of expression to
the oppressed ones, to entertain and many other positive
things such as being used in resolving conflicts among
communities, that is, when media is well used by media
professionals but media does not only bring the positive
to their audiences but can also affect them negatively
asmedia can plant certain kind of feelings in the mind
and heart of the audience and one of the ways that the
media use to draw people’s attention is fear. Media take
recourse to fear because they know that it works and
helps in capturing people’s mind, hence draw in the
audience. Thus, the purpose of the study was toexplore
some of the indirect linguistic and non-linguistic
techniques that media uses to increase and generate fear
about the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The study
employed a mixed paradigm and descriptive survey
design that sampled five compounds in Lusaka
(Woodlands, Kabulonga, Kalingalinga, Bauleni and
Mandevu). Political party officials, Journalists,
Community Health workers, teachers and members of
the community were the respondents. Data was obtained
from respondents by means of interviews, questionnaires
and observation schedules. Frequency, percentages,
tables, graphs and pie-charts were used to analyze the
quantitative and qualitative data obtained. Data was
then analyzed by the use of software MS Access and MS
Excel. The findings revealed that media plants certain
kind of feelings in the mind and heart of the audience
and take recourse to fear by capturing people’s minds.
Keywords :
Covid-19 pandemic, decision making, effects, fear, language.
One of the main role of media is to inform the
public, to educate, to offer opportunities of expression to
the oppressed ones, to entertain and many other positive
things such as being used in resolving conflicts among
communities, that is, when media is well used by media
professionals but media does not only bring the positive
to their audiences but can also affect them negatively
asmedia can plant certain kind of feelings in the mind
and heart of the audience and one of the ways that the
media use to draw people’s attention is fear. Media take
recourse to fear because they know that it works and
helps in capturing people’s mind, hence draw in the
audience. Thus, the purpose of the study was toexplore
some of the indirect linguistic and non-linguistic
techniques that media uses to increase and generate fear
about the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The study
employed a mixed paradigm and descriptive survey
design that sampled five compounds in Lusaka
(Woodlands, Kabulonga, Kalingalinga, Bauleni and
Mandevu). Political party officials, Journalists,
Community Health workers, teachers and members of
the community were the respondents. Data was obtained
from respondents by means of interviews, questionnaires
and observation schedules. Frequency, percentages,
tables, graphs and pie-charts were used to analyze the
quantitative and qualitative data obtained. Data was
then analyzed by the use of software MS Access and MS
Excel. The findings revealed that media plants certain
kind of feelings in the mind and heart of the audience
and take recourse to fear by capturing people’s minds.
Keywords :
Covid-19 pandemic, decision making, effects, fear, language.
