Drivers of global media attention and representations for antimicrobial resistance risk: an analysis of online English and Chinese news media data, 2015–2018

Abstract

Background How antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risk is communicated in news media can shape public understanding and the engagement of different sectors with AMR. This study examined online news media attention for AMR risk and analyzed how AMR risk was communicated using a global sample of English and Chinese news articles. Methods A total of 16,265 and 8335 English and Chinese news relevant to AMR risk, respectively, published in 2015–2018 were retrieved from a professional media-monitoring platform, to examine media attention for AMR and its drivers, of which, 788 articles from six main English-speaking countries and three main Chinese-speaking territories were drawn using constructed-week sampling for content analysis. Results Media attention mainly fluctuated around official reports or scientific discovery of AMR risks or solutions but seldom around reports of inappropriate antimicrobial use (AMU), and not consistently increased in response to World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. The content analysis found that (1) heterogeneous medical terminologies and the ‘superbug’ frame were most commonly used to define AMR or AMR risk; (2) a temporal increase in communicating microbial evolution as a process of AMR was identified but communication about inappropriate AMU in general consumers as the cause of AMR remained inadequate; and (3) the multifaceted consequences of AMR and individual actions that can be taken to tackle AMR were inadequately communicated. Conclusions The media should be encouraged or reoriented to communicate more about actions that can be taken by general consumers to enable collective actions and the multifaceted conseuqences of AMR to encourage one-health approach for tackling AMR.

The portrayal of antimicrobial resistance in Bangladeshi newspapers during 2010–2021: Toward understanding the narrative

“…In our study, we conducted a content analysis of 275 news articles published in twelve leading Bangladeshi newspaper dailies between 2010-2021. Over our study period, it was evident that both Bangla and English articles number were gradually rising, as 75% of the news reports were published in later half of the study period (2017-2021), which is in accordance with the similar studies conducted in China and Germany that reported an increasing trend in Media attention for AMR between 2015-2017 particularly in less developed countries [45,46]. However, a sudden drop of frequency in 2020 might be possible due to the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic which globally was the main news item throughout 2020 and continues to be a major component of news articles.…”

“…We found that the greatest number of reports published were covering the events where the Prime Minister of Bangladesh was associated. Previous studies [28,46] have also reported that official assessment reports of AMR hazards may lead to increase in media interest, as government agencies, healthcare professionals and scientists are considered to be the major social actors in communicating AMR. These studies have also suggested that practical and promotional events that may create awareness around AMR, such as observance of world antibiotic awareness week (WAAW), were not covered by newspapers with great enthusiasm.…”

Does antibiotic awareness campaigns exposure decrease intention to demand antibiotic treatment? Testing a structural model among parents in Western Australia

“…This finding implies that antibiotic awareness campaigns will be more effective if they promote the attitude/idea that AMR prevention is everyone’s responsibility and affects us universally [ 103 ]. Previous communication about the consequences of AMR has primarily focused on the health consequences of vulnerable groups rather than society as a whole [ 104 ]. Moreover, AMR communication has been framed as a human health issue, with messages that target individual clinical encounters and antibiotic misuse rather than wider societal action [ 105 ].…”

A Qualitative Study on the Policy Process and Development of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance in Singapore

“…This simplistic coverage could be an issue as public understanding was not attained sufficiently. Educating those working in the media sector or developing a close collaboration between them and healthcare professionals or scientific experts is crucial to provide accurate and high-quality medical information to the public [ 41 , 42 ]. In another example, one participant mentioned that their environmental engineers are not well versed in the AMR concept.…”