Abstract
This chapter explores the persuasive effect of various audiovisual communication strategies featured in television news reports on economic matters and the extent to which these strategies carry the same persuasive appeal when they move from television to YouTube. Using classical rhetoric, the study undertakes an analysis of economic news reports that were broadcast in the eTV prime time television news bulletin which is South Africa’s most viewed free-to-air English channel, over 30 days. These bulletins are also available on the channel’s YouTube page. The findings are that these reports rely on numbers to persuade that the reports are accurate and factual, and thus credible; metaphors to evoke emotions, and economic experts to persuade us of the credibility of the commentary provided. Strategies which appeal to a sense of logic and those that rely on evoking emotions were found to not have the same appeal when the economic news reports are moved from the televised platform to YouTube. However, those strategies that appeal to viewers based on the credibility of the speakers featured do. The conclusion arrived at is that by relying heavily on the archival features of YouTube, eTV has not yet properly harnessed the full potential that this platform presents for producing and publishing news content.
Published Version
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