The impact and management of internet-based public opinion dissemination during emergencies: A case study of Baidu News during the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract

Background and aims The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency has had a huge impact worldwide. We analyzed news headlines and keywords from the initial period of COVID-19, and explored the dissemination timeline of news related to the epidemic, and the impact of Internet-based media on the public using lifecycle theory and agenda-setting theory. We aimed to explore the impact of Baidu news headlines on public attention during the first wave of COVID-19, as well as the management mechanism of regulatory departments for social public opinion. Methods We searched Baidu News using the keywords “Novel Coronavirus” and “COVID-19” from 8 January to 21 February 2020, a total of 45 days, and used Python V3.6 to extract news samples during the first wave of the epidemic. We used text analysis software to structurally process captured news topics and content summaries, applied VOSviewer V6.19 and Ucinet V6.0 to examine key aspects of the data. Results We analyzed the impact of Baidu News headlines on social opinion during the first wave of COVID-19 in the budding, spread, and outbreak stage of the information lifecycle. From clustering visualization and social network analysis perspectives, we explored the characteristics of Baidu News during the initial stage of the COVID-19. The results indicated that agenda-setting coverage through online media helped to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19. The findings revealed that news reporting generated a high level of public attention toward a specific emergency event. Conclusions The public requires accurate and objective information on the progress of COVID-19 through Baidu News headlines to inform their planning for the epidemic. Meanwhile, government can enhance the management mechanism of news dissemination, correct false and inaccurate news, and guide public opinion in a positive direction. In addition, timely official announcements on the progress of the COVID-19 outbreak and responses to matters of public concern can help calm tensions and maintain social stability.