Based on framing theory and attribution theory, this research examines how the Korean news has framed and attributed the causes of fine dust in terms of external factors (i.e., China-responsibility) or internal factors (e.g., Korea-responsibility). We conducted a large-scale big-data analysis such as natural language processing and semantic network analysis to examine how news about fine dust in the Korean news had been produced and corrected. We used search terms, such as “fine dust” and “China,” to collect 21,222 articles from 54 media outlets over 11 years from 2009 to 2019. Fine dust reporting could be divided mainly into two stages of (a) producing misinformation and (b) correcting misinformation. In the phase of producing misinformation (before 2015), the Korea Meteorological Administration appeared as a major source of information and emphasized “fine dust from China” in its weather forecast. In the phase of correcting misinformation (after 2015), environmental and civic groups appeared as major sources of information. They urged the Korean government to initiate policies rather than blame China. Another important group, the scholars, denied China-responsibility and started to talk about Korea-responsibility. The government also emphasized on cooperation of Northeast Asian countries and initiating eco-friendly domestic policies based on LTP results (Long-range Transboundary Pollutants). Overall, misinformation was produced in the process of “climate,” → “socialization,” → “politicization,” and misinformation was corrected through “scientification,” → “Asianization” internationally, and “Korea-responsibility” → “eco-friendly policymaking” domestically.

BACKGROUND In recent years, Korean society has increasingly recognized the importance of nurses in the context of population aging and infectious disease control. However, nurses still face difficulties with regard to policy activities that are aimed at improving the nursing workforce structure and working environment. Media coverage plays an important role in public awareness of a particular issue and can be an important strategy in policy activities. OBJECTIVE This study analyzed data from 18 years of news coverage on nursing-related issues by using the BigKinds database. The focus of this study was to examine the drivers of the agenda and the issues that were emphasized in the media by the analysis of sources and quotes. METHODS Natural language processing and semantic network analysis were applied to data collected from 2005 to 2022. This study first identified the main news sources by conducting a network analysis of news coverage on nursing issues. The study examined the overall patterns of nursing-related news coverage by analyzing the content of major sources and quotes. Finally, the common and individual interests of the main sources are analyzed through network analysis. RESULTS In total, 128,377 articles on nursing-related issues were analyzed. The findings showed that nursing-related news was mainly covered in social and local sections, whereas political and economy sections lacked comprehensive discussions. Nurses were portrayed as heroes, laborers, victims, and perpetrators in various ways, and related problems were presented from multiple perspectives. However, policy formulation processes have not been adequately reported. The economic section tends to focus on youth and women employment in relation to nurses. In the political section, conflicts between nurses and doctors, which may have caused policy confusion, were highlighted. CONCLUSIONS The study suggests that nurses, as advocates of public health, should secure policy compliance by persuading the public about their professional perspectives and resolving misunderstandings.

No abstract