When headlines get louder than the event: media framing, identity orientation and audience positioning in contested events across event phases

Purpose This study examines how perceptions of mainstream media framing (PMF), identity orientation and temporal dynamics relate to audience responses to a symbolically contested event. Specifically, it investigates how PMF and identity orientation are associated with event positioning (POS) across pre-event and post-event phases, and how PMF and pre-event emotional orientation (EMO) relate to post-event EMO among media-exposed audiences. Design/methodology/approach A two-wave survey was employed surrounding a mega-concert in Croatia (pre-event n = 406; post-event n = 210; matched panel n = 99). Data were analysed using PLS-SEM, combining phase-specific models based on the repeated cross-sectional samples with cross-temporal analysis of the matched panel subsample. Findings More negative perceptions of media coverage are associated with more positive POS. Identity orientation strongly differentiates post-event POS across both evaluative and affective dimensions. EMO remains stable across phases. Cross-temporal analysis indicates that PMF is indirectly associated with post-event EMO through pre-event EMO rather than through a direct effect. Practical implications Among media-exposed audiences, media narratives surrounding contested events may reinforce and challenge engagement. Event organizers should therefore not assume that negative coverage uniformly reduces support, but instead recognize that it may strengthen alignment among supportive audiences. The findings also highlight the importance of stakeholder communication and governance approaches that recognize heterogeneous audience interpretations in contested event environments. Originality/value This study integrates media framing, identity orientation and temporal dynamics. The study extends event and tourism research by examining how dynamics commonly discussed in political communication and media studies – mediated interpretation, identity alignment and the persistence of prior emotional orientations – operate within a symbolically contested event context.