COVID-19 epidemiology: Through the eyes of vernacular newspapers

Mahima, BN; Tiwari, Hemant Kr; Mahapatra, Payel; Amudhan, Senthil; Rao, Girish N

doi:10.4103/ijph.ijph_485_20

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Unfortunately, we found this simple error in most newspapers analyzed. A small study of 5 newspapers identified the same situation, where the staff presented numbers of COVID-19 deaths and cases without a denominator and without context, showing the emotional appeal of the headlines [ 14 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the press properly presenting the epidemiological data on COVID-19? An analysis of newspapers from 25 countries

Hammes

Rossi

Pedrotti

et al. 2021

J Public Health Pol

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We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess how the top 3 highest circulation newspapers from 25 countries are comparing and presenting COVID-19 epidemiological data to their readers. Of 75 newspapers evaluated, 51(68%) presented at their websites at least one comparison of cases and/or deaths between regions of their country and/or between countries. Quality assessment of the comparisons showed that only a minority of newspapers adjusted the data for population size in case comparisons between regions (37.2%) and between countries (25.6%), and the same was true for death comparisons between regions (27.3%) and between countries (27%). Of those making comparisons, only 13.7% explained the difference in the interpretation of cases and deaths. Of 17 that presented a logarithmic curve, only 29.4% explained its meaning. Although the press plays a key role in conveying correct medical information to the general public, we identified inconsistencies in the reporting of COVID-19 epidemiological data. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41271-021-00298-7.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the press properly presenting the epidemiological data on COVID-19? An analysis of newspapers from 25 countries

Hammes

Rossi

Pedrotti

et al. 2021

J Public Health Pol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Online Versions of Highly Circulated U.S. Daily Newspapers

2020

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With the proliferation of news and the abundance of unknowns, COVID-19 information became rife with rumors and infiltrated consumers with confusion and information overload. In situations like this, it is important to provide consumers with credible and reliable information about the pandemic which is affecting their lives and livelihoods. Articles about coronavirus published in online versions of USA Today online, Wall Street Journal online and NYTimes.com between January and March 2020 were identified. Only articles where the search terms appeared in the headline were included as it was considered a more effective approach to understanding the health communication trends for this outbreak. These criteria resulted in 5,285 articles published on this topic during this time. All articles were imported into Dedoose mixed-methods software for thematic analysis. The frequency of each identified theme appearing in reviewed articles was counted, together with excerpts illustrating the specific theme. Overall, the five most common themes appearing in reviewed articles were "financial impact of COVID-19" (11.6%), "stories of affected individuals" (7.0%), "death and death rates" (6.8%), "precaution recommendations for public" (6.2%), and "quarantine" (5.9%). The newspapers did not just report the numbers (number of infections, ventilators, deaths, economic losses) but they also reported the context of the pandemic, such as, impact on economy, efforts to slow the spread of infection, switch to working from home, presence of health disparities, scientific search for reliable COVID-19 tests, and effect on supply chains. News media play a vital role in enhancing understanding of pandemic, but also in shaping public response to public health messages.

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News Article Portrayal of Virtual Care for Health Care Delivery in the First 7 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rush

Burton

Smith

et al. 2021

Telemedicine Reports

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Objectives: The onset of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic resulted in rapid implementation of virtual care solutions at an unprecedented pace. The news media, as a trusted source for many Canadians, plays a vital role during emergencies by reporting on changes in health care protocols, policies, and technologies. This article presents the results of a qualitative analysis of Canadian news articles between February and August of 2020 to identify critical themes with respect to virtual care. Methods: A full-text search of the database Canadian Newsstream resulted in 1542 articles (708 duplicates), of which 294 articles were included in the final analysis. Inductive analysis was used to generate themes and identify voices, contradictions, and tensions in the articles. Results: Analysis generated four themes: coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a catalyst for virtual care, safety and protection, economic impacts, and telehealth as a model of care. Media portrayals represented some voices (e.g., physicians) while limiting others (e.g., patients), reflected some contradictory messaging with respect to safety and protection, and raised key issues and concerns about virtual health care delivery during the first 7 months of COVID-19. Conclusions: Our findings of successful and rapid uptake, uses and concerns around funding, and privacy and virtual care adoption reported in the news media can be used to inform longer term implementation and sustainability. Policy makers could benefit from crafting messages that balance information and reassurance. Public/patient perspectives, which were largely missing from news media, are needed to gauge receptivity and sustainability.

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COVID-19 epidemiology: Through the eyes of vernacular newspapers

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Is the press properly presenting the epidemiological data on COVID-19? An analysis of newspapers from 25 countries

Is the press properly presenting the epidemiological data on COVID-19? An analysis of newspapers from 25 countries

Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Online Versions of Highly Circulated U.S. Daily Newspapers

News Article Portrayal of Virtual Care for Health Care Delivery in the First 7 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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