Mediating Moral Emotions. How Did Online News Media Cover Moral Emotional Messages During the 2022 General Election Campaigning?

This chapter offers a detailed examination of moral emotional expressions in online news media during Hungary’s 2022 general election campaign, focusing on guilt, shame, pride, and hubris. Analysing popular web-based news portals, the study reveals dynamics and content characteristics between February 1 and April 2, 2022. Online news portals play a crucial role in Hungary’s media landscape, often reflecting ideological biases and government pressures. The analysis of 10,916 sampled news items indicates that 16% connect moral emotions to the election campaign. The chapter explores factors influencing the dissemination of moral emotional coverage, such as political leaning, distribution channels, and geographic scope. It discusses the media’s role in moral politics and concludes by examining how online media shape public discussions and assign responsibility in political life through moral emotional elicitation.