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A/H1N1, more commonly referred to as swine flu, emerged in Mexico in spring 2009. It rapidly spread across the world and was classed as a global pandemic on 11 June 2009.
To analyse UK newsprint coverage of the swine flu pandemic.
Content analysis of 2374 newsprint articles published in eight UK national newspapers between 1 March 2009 and 28 Febru...
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This article examines how health news gets framed and the influence of exposure to news framed differently. A content analysis of Taiwanese newspapers indicates that health news in general, and H1N1 flu news in particular, is more likely to use alarm rather than coping frames. According to an experiment, exposure to H1N1 flu news in an alarm frame...
Citations
... Studies analyzing communication through newspapers so far have shown mixed results. Some studies have suggested adequate information distribution, for example, during the SARS-CoV-1 outbreak [34] or the H1N1 influenza pandemic [35,36]. However, other studies have been indecisive or deemed that communication could be improved, including those focusing on the West Nile virus outbreak [37], the H1N1 influenza pandemic [9,38,39], and the COVID-19 pandemic [8,40,41]. ...
... However, other studies have been indecisive or deemed that communication could be improved, including those focusing on the West Nile virus outbreak [37], the H1N1 influenza pandemic [9,38,39], and the COVID-19 pandemic [8,40,41]. Although these studies provide valuable insights, some aspects remain understudied because most studies focused on epidemiological information [34][35][36][37]39] or included a short time frame (ie, <6 months) [8,40,41]. Furthermore, in light of the new media context, it remains unclear how information from new key stakeholders, such as hospitals, is being presented to the public. ...
... Contrary to what the public or stakeholders might perceive [5,6,73] and what some studies during prior health crises found [37,74], we did not find any indication of the presence of misinformation in any of the newspaper articles. Therefore, in line with previous research, our findings suggest that newspapers can be a credible source for those seeking valid information during a health crisis [35,36]. One explanation for not finding misinformation compared with previous studies could be that the study focused on hospital information instead of risk information, the latter being potentially characterized by more uncertainty [18,37]. ...
Background
It is important for health organizations to communicate with the public through newspapers during health crises. Although hospitals were a main source of information for the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how this information was presented to the public through (web-based) newspaper articles.
Objective
This study aims to examine newspaper reporting on the situation in hospitals during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands and to assess the degree to which the reporting in newspapers aligned with what occurred in practice.
Methods
We used a mixed methods longitudinal design to compare internal data from all hospitals (n=5) located in one of the most heavily affected regions of the Netherlands with the information reported by a newspaper covering the same region. The internal data comprised 763 pages of crisis meeting documents and 635 minutes of video communications. A total of 14,401 newspaper articles were retrieved from the LexisNexis Academic (RELX Group) database, of which 194 (1.3%) articles were included for data analysis. For qualitative analysis, we used content and thematic analyses. For quantitative analysis, we used chi-square tests.
Results
The content of the internal data was categorized into 12 themes: COVID-19 capacity; regular care capacity; regional, national, and international collaboration; human resources; well-being; public support; material resources; innovation; policies and protocols; finance; preparedness; and ethics. Compared with the internal documents, the newspaper articles focused significantly more on the themes COVID-19 capacity (P<.001), regular care capacity (P<.001), and public support (P<.001) during the first year of the pandemic, whereas they focused significantly less on the themes material resources (P=.004) and policies and protocols (P<.001). Differences in attention toward themes were mainly observed between the first and second waves of the pandemic and at the end of the third wave. For some themes, the attention in the newspaper articles preceded the attention given to these themes in the internal documents. Reporting was done through various forms, including diary articles written from the perspective of the hospital staff. No indication of the presence of misinformation was found in the newspaper articles.
Conclusions
Throughout the first year of the pandemic, newspaper articles provided coverage on the situation of hospitals and experiences of staff. The focus on themes within newspaper articles compared with internal hospital data differed significantly for 5 (42%) of the 12 identified themes. The discrepancies between newspapers and hospitals in their focus on themes could be attributed to their gatekeeping roles. Both parties should be aware of their gatekeeping role and how this may affect information distribution. During health crises, newspapers can be a credible source of information for the public. The information can also be valuable for hospitals themselves, as it allows them to anticipate internal and external developments.
... As to the infotainment role, sensationalised coverage was found in covering the COVID-19 pandemic using dramatic tone and metaphors (Milutinović 2021;Wasserman et al. 2021); covering the Zika virus using emotionally charged language (Jerit et al. 2019); covering the Avian Influenza using expressions of worst-case scenarios and emotionally-loaded words (Dudo, Dahlstrom, and Brossard 2007); and covering SARS using metaphors, exaggeration, and dramatic superlative adjectives (Berry, Wharf-Higgins, and Naylor 2007;Washer 2004). In the case of UK, Hilton and Hunt (2011) found that the vast majority of UK newspapers' coverage of A/H1N1 used bland, instead of sensationalised, language in headlines. Nevertheless, UK journalism is not immune to a sensationalised way of reporting (e.g., Conboy 2006;Humprecht 2019;Jensen 2012), which is also evidenced in the coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic with journalists using fear-inducing language (Hase and Engelke 2022). ...
... These findings stand in contrast with existing arguments that crisis reporting, including the coverage of public health crises, tends to sensationalise coverage (e.g., Milutinović 2021;Wasserman et al. 2021). Instead, they seem to echo the findings of Hilton and Hunt (2011) that UK newspapers did not sensationalise the coverage of A/H1N1 in their headlines. This might be due to the location of the crisis. ...
... The media acts as an important source of disease information, conveying a range of information that the public urgently needs, such as disease progression and treatment, policy interpretation, and personalized advice (34). Health information is closely related to people's life and has become an important type of content that people seek for and share online. ...
Objective
Public crises seriously affect social stability and personal health. When individuals are in a public crisis environment, they will have the impulse and intention to share information, which is a behavioral attitude shown in the face of a crisis. Public crisis information sharing intention will be affected by many factors. This study aims to examine how the process of social presence may influence information sharing intentions during a public crisis and the mediating effects of situational pressure, including risk perception of disease infection and consistency of perception of opinion climate.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study with 505 youth SNS users. In order to collect as suitable samples as possible, a research website was commissioned to conduct a questionnaire in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. This questionnaire was utilized to measure social presence, risk perception of disease infection, consistency of perception of opinion climate and intention to share information about COVID-19. Structural equation modeling was used to examine variable relationships in the research model.
Results
The results showed that social presence was significantly and positively associated with risk perception of disease infection (B = 0.42, p < 0.001), consistency of perception of opinion climate (B = 0.43, p < 0.001) and intention to share information about COVID-19 (B = 0.48, p < 0.001). Risk perception of disease infection (B = 0.19, p < 0.001) and consistency of perception of opinion climate (B = 0.18, p = 0.002) positively predicted youth SNS users’ intention to share information about COVID-19. Risk perception of disease infection and consistency of perception of opinion climate mediated the relationship between social presence and intention to share information about COVID-19 (Z = 2.66, CI: 0.03, 0.15; Z = 2.66, CI: 0.02, 0.16).
Conclusion
The study further deepens our understanding of the mechanisms underlying social presence and information sharing intentions. These new findings suggest that some situational cues, including media environment factors (social presence) and perceived stress factors (risk perception of disease infection, consistency of perception of opinion climate) may influence information sharing intention. From the perspective of communication psychology, this study enriched the assessment of information sharing on social media and contributes to understanding of social presence and situation pressure, and it helps to provide specific references for effectively promoting netizens’ intention to share information about public crises.
... Selain perubahan budaya bilik berita, perubahan corak pemberitaan turut mengalami perubahan disebabkan oleh ancaman kesihatan awam oleh penyakit berjangkit seperti SARS, H1NI, wabak campak enterovirus, virus Zika, Ebola, MERS-Cov dan yang terkini Covid-19. Liputan berita penyakit H1N1 contohnya, dilaporkan secara sensasi, dramatik dan negatif bagi sesetengah akhbar dengan memberi fokus kepada ancaman virus, seperti jumlah peningkatan kes harian, kes kematian dan penyebaran virus berbanding pelaporan terhadap aspek kawalan dan pencegahan (Hilton & Hunt, 2011;Klemm, Das, & Hartmann, 2016). Antara contoh pelaporan berita yang dilaporkan secara dramatik adalah seperti pelaporan berita berkenaan virus H1N1 dalam akhbar-akhbar di Malaysia menggunakan konsep abstrak seperti metafora dan kiasan untuk menyampaikan maklumat berkaitan wabak tersebut (Lakshmi et al., 2017). ...
Pandemik Covid-19 telah mengubah rutin kehidupan manusia kepada suatu norma yang baharu. Perubahan tersebut mencetuskan pelbagai implikasi dan perselisihan pandangan dari sudut agama, sosial, peradaban, profesionalisme, dan hak asasi sejagat. Industri media dan kerjaya kewartawanan tidak terkecuali malahan turut menerima tempias kekangan ekonomi, pengurangan kakitangan sehingga membawa kepada penutupan agensi berita. Pematuhan terhadap Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan dan Prosedur Operasi Standard (SOP) norma baharu yang diperkenalkan telah disesuaikan dengan norma semasa yang akhirnya membawa kepada perubahan bilik berita dan rutin kerja wartawan. Kajian ini berbentuk penerokaan yang meneliti kerjaya wartawan berita kesihatan di Malaysia menyesuaikan aspek profesionalisme, norma kerja dan teknologi mereka ketika bertugas dalam situasi pandemik. Berdasarkan temu bual mendalam dengan wartawan, sub-editor dan editor berita kesihatan dari pelbagai agensi berita, kajian ini mendapati bahawa mereka mampu menyesuaikan diri dengan perubahan dan keadaan semasa serta menanam norma fleksibiliti tanpa membelakangkan etika profesional. Dalam masa yang singkat, wartawan berita kesihatan dilihat mampu untuk bertindak dengan mengatur kerja secara jarak jauh atau dari rumah, perjumpaan dengan sumber berita secara dalam talian dan memperkukuhkan struktur bilik berita digital menerusi komunikasi maya dan aplikasi media sosial. Wartawan berita kesihatan di Malaysia juga dilihat mempunyai aspirasi dan jati diri yang tinggi dalam kerjaya mereka dengan meletakkan keutamaan kepada tanggungjawab sosial berbanding kebimbangan peribadi terhadap virus Covid-19. Kata kunci: Norma baharu, cabaran, Covid-19, wartawan berita kesihatan, budaya bilik berita.
... This was followed by qualitative analysis for sentimental and emotional information. For the quantitative analysis, we developed a coding frame based on existing literature in order to categorize different article characteristics including main topic of the article, sentiments towards vaccine in the title and the content, and whether the article contains emotional tone [39][40][41][42] . We followed Habel and colleagues' coding procedure in their study analyzing news content about the HPV vaccine 40 . ...
Background: Vaccine hesitancy has become a prominent public health concern, particularly within the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic context. Worries about vaccine side effects are often cited as a reason for hesitancy, while media reporting about this topic plays an important role in influencing the public’s perspectives about vaccines and vaccination. In Vietnam, during 2012-2013, there were several adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) of Quinvaxem– a pentavalent vaccine in the Expanded Immunization Program, which made big headlines in the media. Such incidences have contributed to changes in vaccination policies and influenced parents’ concerns to date. This study explores the portrayal of Quinvaxem in Vietnam digital news during four periods marked by important events.
Methods: We performed quantitative and qualitative analysis with a coding framework to identify main content focus, sentiments towards Quinvaxem, and emotional tones in these articles.
Results: In total, we included 360 articles into analysis. The amount of news coverage about Quinvaxem increased after AEFIs happened, from 7 articles before AEFIs to 98 and 159 articles in the following periods when AEFIs and investigation into vaccine safety occurred. Most articles are neutral in titles (n=255/360) and content (n=215/360) towards Quinvaxem and do not convey emotional expressions (n=271/360). However, articles focusing on side effects contain negative sentiments and emotional expressions more frequently than articles of other contents while AEFIs details were conflicting across articles. Vaccine sentiments are provoked in the information about vaccine quality and safety, health authority, local delivery, and quoted vaccine opinions. Emotion-conveying elements in 89/360 articles included emotional wording and imagery and expressive punctuation.
Conclusions : The heterogeneity of information in online news may reinforce uncertainty about vaccine safety and decrease vaccine intention. Our results have important implications for vaccine communication, given the current plan of the Vietnamese government to roll out COVID-19 vaccination to younger children.
... While earlier research has also suggested increasing exposure to news for greater accessibility of information to improve the public's preparedness to a health threat,, all of which, together, advocates for increasing responsibility quotient in journalistic functions. In the Indian context, the most recent study on the analysis of the epidemiological display of coronavirus in five vernacular newspapers in the State of Karnataka gave insight into the successful awareness reporting done by the print media [19]. Further, studies indicate that a pandemic is suggested to fit into the rubric of most news values ranging from relevance to uncertainty and others, making it a special story comprising a concentrated coverage by the media. ...
Individual awareness of the disease and adherence to preventative measures are essential for a successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early media portrayals of COVID-19 health information may have an impact on public attitudes and behavior. To urge people to respond correctly, the media should ensure that its coverage is relevant, timely, and actionable. We looked at internet reportage in India to see how well the media conveyed health information regarding COVID-19 by WHO's Strategic Risk Communication standards. Sixty-seven percent of publications that cited sources of information did so from reliable sources, including public health agencies and scholars. In addition, media coverage did not appear to reflect WHO changes promptly, with most of the material coming before the updates. According to the results, Indian media should focus on actionable and relevant news that gives individual reaction recommendations. To combat the spread of disinformation, the media should report on evidence-based preventive and treatment methods.
... During the social crises, the use of media resources increases as individuals have a high need for information to understand the unstable social situation [3]. Media is a main source for health related information [4], which provides information about the course of the disease, response policies, personal advice for action, a whole range of information that the public desperately needs [5]. ...
Based on the comparison of information behavior characteristics and differences of the urban and rural elderly group in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aims to analyzed the questionnaires collected from 980 elderly people. It was found that there were different mechanisms by which media use influenced the protective behaviors of the elderly. Authoritative media is able to directly influence the behavior of the elderly, the information function of social media influences their precautionary measures by affecting their perception, and their social function directly promotes the adoption of protective behaviors by the elderly. There are still significant differences in media use between urban and rural elderly groups. Rural elderly groups rely more on interpersonal networks to seek information and their social circles of WeChat acquaintance are closer. Therefore, health communication research among the elderly needs to further focus on the urban-rural differences in their digital inclusion process.
... Extensive media and social media coverage quickly made the public aware of these major agricultural product safety incidents and played a significant role in fanning the flames and expanding the economic impacts (Wen et al., 2019;Yi et al., 2019b). In the past, information about agricultural product safety incidents was mainly accessed from traditional media, such as newspapers, radio, and television (De Jonge et al., 2010;Attavanich et al., 2011;Carducci et al., 2011;Hilton and Hunt, 2011;Vasterman and Ruigrok, 2013); however, the rise in social media means that people are no longer unilaterally receiving messages from official organizations but are participating in the information dissemination (Neuman et al., 2014). ...
Public concern over major agricultural product safety incidents, such as swine flu and avian flu, can intensify financial losses in the livestock and poultry industries. Crawler technology were applied to reviewed the Weibo social media discussions on the African Swine Fever (ASF) incident in China that was reported on 3 August 2018, and used content analysis and network analysis to specifically examine the online public opinion network dissemination characteristics of verified individual users, institutional users and ordinary users. It was found that: (1) attention paid to topics related to “epidemic,” “treatment,” “effect” and “prevent” decrease in turn, with the interest in “prevent” increasing significantly when human infections were possible; (2) verified individual users were most concerned about epidemic prevention and control and play a supervisory role, the greatest concern of institutional users and ordinary users were issues related to agricultural industry and agricultural products price fluctuations respectively; (3) among institutional users, media was the main opinion leader, and among non-institutional users, elites from all walks of life, especially the food safety personnel acted as opinion leaders. Based on these findings, some policy suggestions are given: determine the nature of the risk to human health of the safety incident, stabilizing prices of relevant agricultural products, and giving play to the role of information dissemination of relevant institutions.
... Some research has been conducted regarding news coverage of pandemics in the past. Notably, research involving earlier pandemics and disease outbreaks found such coverage to be sensational, focused on worst-case scenarios (Dudo et al., 2007), alarmist (Fogarty et al., 2011;Hilton & Hunt, 2010;Vasterman & Ruigrok, 2013), frightening (Ungar, 2008), unnecessarily focused on risk (Berry et al., 2007), focused too little on precautionary measures (Klemm et al., 2016), inaccurate or imbalanced (Shuchman & Wilkes, 1997;Yusuf et al., 2015), and grounded in othering frames (Washer, 2004). ...
The COVID-19 pandemic generated tremendous journalistic attention, and occurred during a period of increasing politicization and polarization in America’s news media. This study considers the intersection of both phenomena, and the extent of politicization in recent and historical pandemic-related reporting. Results suggest that political topics, actions and actors have frequently been the focus of COVID-19-related reporting, and that such political content has grown more substantial over time.
... Por ello los investigadores creen que la información factual y no alarmista que ayude a la ciudadanía a tomar mejores decisiones puede estar relacionada con mejores coberturas basadas en acceso a fuentes más confiables y creíbles (Duncan, 2009;Hilton & Hunt, 2011). Una cobertura especializada en temas sanitarios y médicos -a partir de un uso plural de fuentes, documentación, investigación propia e informada y seguimiento de diversos ángulos-suele devenir en la toma de mejores decisiones de salud y autocuidado por parte del público. ...
Este reporte analiza el impacto de la pandemia por COVID-19 en el quehacer periodístico en México. Mediante una encuesta no-probabilística con N=472 periodistas, se examinan los roles periodísticos que los periodistas consideran importantes en una pandemia; los actores, fuentes y temáticas a las que dieron cobertura; su evaluación sobre el manejo y comunicación de la pandemia por parte de diversas autoridades sanitarias y las áreas que demandan capacitación periodística. Por otro lado, se explora el impacto de la pandemia en su trabajo (rutinas y exposición al riesgo), empleo (despidos y recortes), salud (contagio por COVID-19) y bienestar emocional (cansancio, estrés, preocupación, angustia, frustración). Encontramos que funciones asociadas a los roles de servicio y cívico recibieron el mayor apoyo. Respecto a coberturas, la mayoría dio uso y seguimiento a fuentes oficiales y actores institucionales, especialmente estatales. Por otro lado, los periodistas no sólo fueron alcanzados por la COVID-19, los despidos y la degradación de las condiciones laborales, sino que están más sobrecargados, cansados, estresados y angustiados por su futuro. Muchos debieron sortear dificultades logísticas y coberturas altamente riesgosas para su salud en condiciones de escasa capacitación y protocolos de seguridad mínimos por parte de su medio.
