Diffusion of News of the Shuttle Columbia Disaster: The Role of Emotional Responses and Motives for Interpersonal Communication

@article{Ibrahim2008DiffusionON,
  title={Diffusion of News of the Shuttle Columbia Disaster: The Role of Emotional Responses and Motives for Interpersonal Communication},
  author={Amal Sami Ibrahim and Jiali Ye and Cynthia A. Hoffner},
  journal={Communication Research Reports},
  year={2008},
  volume={25},
  pages={101 - 91}
}
This study examined the role of emotion in the process of news diffusion following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Respondents reported both sadness and anger, but sadness was the predominant emotional response. Early learners reported more sadness, but emotional response was unrelated to the initial source of the news. Regarding interpersonal news diffusion, individuals who reported more sadness were more likely to pass the news on to others and spent more time discussing the event. Anger… 
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