How legacy media set the tone? assessing negativity bias and agenda-setting in Honduran front pages

Introduction. This study examines how agenda-setting and negativity bias are reflected on the front pages of six Honduran legacy mass media outlets: 4 newspapers, 1 television, and 1 radio. Methods. This quantitative content analysis evaluated 166 front pages and 1,121 headlines, published during January 1 to 31 of 2024. An Excel document was created for data collection with four main categories: Thematic of headlines, front page hierarchy, type of headlines, and editorial tone. Results. Only 3% of the headlines were positive news, and 25% were negative (related to crimes). Moreover, 44% of the primary headlines were for political topics. In addition, 70% of the 1,121 headlines evaluated had a neutral tone. Conclusion. This suggests a dominant narrative's focus on negative news (fear) and political issues, simultaneously, with apparent objectivity and balanced presentation of news through the neutral tone in 7 out of 10 headlines evaluated. Future research may attempt to explain the intentions behind legacy media's prioritization of narratives about crime and politics rather than others, such as health, education, or poverty. It would also be relevant to examine whether the objectivity in the neutral tone responds to criticisms that have grown over the last decades against legacy media, especially for its historical ties to economic and political power groups, and their distinctive role in the democratic ecosystem.