Work

Covering the Crisis: Evolution of Key Topics and Actors in COVID-19 News Coverage in Switzerland

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Objectives: The goal of this study is to map the share of COVID-related news articles over time, to investigate key subtopics and their evolution throughout the pandemic, and to identify key actors and their relationship with different aspects of the discourse around the pandemic. Methods: This study uses a large-scale automated content analysis to conduct a within-country comparison of news articles (N = 1,171,114) from two language regions of Switzerland during the first 18 months of the pandemic. Results: News media coverage of the pandemic largely mirrors key epidemiological developments in terms of the volume and content of coverage. Key actors in COVID-related reporting tend to be included in news articles that relate to their respective area of expertise. Conclusion: Balanced news coverage of the pandemic facilitates effective dissemination of pandemic-related information by health authorities.

Source: International Journal of Public Health

DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1605240

Authors: Alexander Ort, Tobias Rohrbach, Nicola Diviani, Sara Rubinelli

Institution: Swiss Paraplegic Research

Language: English

Topic: Communication and COVID-19 Impact

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid:

Funders: National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung