Media Portrayal of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Pennsylvania
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Sep 15, 2020
Keywords:
COVID-19 Newspaper Reporting Content Analysis Framing Theory Pennsylvania
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Abstract
We investigated the media during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania to see what we could discover about news reporting on the pandemic. We conducted content analysis of articles published during the dates of March 6-7, 2020 from the Philadelphia Inquirer and suburban newspapers surrounding the Philadelphia area. The articles were analyzed using four frames: “conflict frame”, “economic impact frame”, “morality frame”, and “human interest frame”. From this, we determined that 51.4% of the coded articles mentioned human interest, 71.4% of the coded articles mentioned urgency, and 94.3% of articles mentioned at least one form of protective action to be taken against the virus. We concluded that a sense of urgency and need for protective actions dominated the media conversation.
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References
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21. Semetko, H. A., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2000). Framing European politics: A content analysis
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24. Staff, W. P. X. I. N. (2020, May 1). Gov. Wolf outlines reopening plan, expresses hope that southwestern Pa. will be next. Retrieved from https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/allegheny-county/gov-wolf-expected-announce-reopening-plan-friday/NW4V4GA77FG4HL67WVZVHE7BFA/
25. Valkenburg, P. M., Semetko, H. A., & De Vreese, C. H. (1999). The effects of news frames
on readers' thoughts and recall. Communication research, 26(5), 550-569.
26. Weingart, P. (1998). Science and the media. Research policy, 27(8), 869-879.
27. World Health Organization. (2020). Preparedness, prevention and control of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for refugees and migrants in non-camp settings: interim guidance, 17 April 2020 (No. WHO/2019-nCoV/Refugees_Migrants/2020.1). World Health Organization.
2. An, S. K., & Gower, K. K. (2009). How do the news media frame crises? A content analysis
of crisis news coverage. Public Relations Review, 35(2), 107-112.
3. Barnes, M. D., Hanson, C. L., Novilla, L. M., Meacham, A. T., McIntyre, E., & Erickson, B. C. (2008). Analysis of media agenda setting during and after Hurricane Katrina: Implications for emergency preparedness, disaster response, and disaster policy. American journal of public health, 98(4), 604-610.
4. Birkland, T. A. (1996). Natural disasters as focusing events: Policy communities and political
response. International journal of mass emergencies and disasters, 14(2), 221-243.
5. Carey, K. E. (2020, March 7). First presumed case of coronavirus detected in Delco. Retrieved May 27, 2020, from https://www.delcotimes.com/news/first-presumed-case-of-coronavirus-detected-in-delco/article_638edf6a-5fb9-11ea-a54e-9b09078b49ed.html
6. Cho, S. H., & Gower, K. K. (2006). Framing effect on the public's response to crisis: Human interest frame and crisis type influencing responsibility and blame. Public Relations Review,
32(4), 420-422.
7. Chong, D., & Druckman, J. N. (2007). Framing theory. Annu. Rev. Polit. Sci., 10, 103-126.
8. Diep, F. (2020, March 6). How Do You Quarantine for Coronavirus on a College Campus? Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-Do-You-Quarantine-for/248199
9. Dickinson, G. (2020, April 9). How to protect yourself at the gym, one of the germiest places around. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/how-stay-healthy-gym-philly-workout-city-fitness-coronavirus-covid-19-philadelphia-20200306.html
10. Eleey, Jane. (2020, March 13). How Can Philadelphia's Senior Communities Protect Themselves from Coronavirus? From Https://Www.inquirer.com, www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/coronavirus-senior-citizens-risks-retirement-communities-20200309.html.
11. Fairhurst, G., & Sarr, R. A. (1996). The art of framing.
12. Gammage, J. (2020, March 8). As COVID-19 lands in Philly area, some people are keeping their hands to themselves. Others, not so much. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/covid-19-coronavirus-shaking-hands-elbows-wuhan-shake-philly-20200308.html
13. Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. Harvard
University Press.
14. Hanna, M. B. A. (2020, March 8). ‘It’s best to take as many precautions as possible’: Parents and students react to school closings over coronavirus. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-central-bucks-school-district-closed-20200306.html
15. Interactive map of Pennsylvania counties and their phase of reopening. (2020, May 26). Retrieved from https://www.wtae.com/article/map-of-pennsylvania-counties-and-their-phase-of-reopening/32345753#
16. Jenn Ladd STAFF WRITER. (March 9, 2020 Monday). How to stock your pantry in case of a quarantine. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from https://advance-lexis-com.ezp1.villanova.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5YCS-WB71-JC3R-B0NS-00000-00&context=1516831.
17. Mathis, J. (2014, October 29). (Update) Inquirer, Daily News Continue Circulation Decline. Retrieved from https://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/10/28/inky-daily-news-circulation-continue-decline/
18. Montanari, S. (2020, March 25). Epidemiologists have been warning of a coronavirus outbreak for years and say that another pandemic will happen again. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/epidemiologists-on-chances-of-future-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3
19. Prat, A., & Strömberg, D. (2011). The political economy of mass media.
20. Tierney, K., Bevc, C., & Kuligowski, E. (2006). Metaphors matter: Disaster myths, media
frames, and their consequences in Hurricane Katrina. The annals of the American academy of
political and social science, 604(1), 57-81.
21. Semetko, H. A., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2000). Framing European politics: A content analysis
of press and television news. Journal of communication, 50(2), 93-109.
22. Silver, A., & Andrey, J. (2014). The influence of previous disaster experience and sociodemographics on protective behaviors during two successive tornado events. Weather, climate, and society, 6(1), 91-103.
23. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. (2020, March 25). Retrieved from https://www.journals.elsevier.com/social-sciences-and-humanities-open/call-for-papers/coronavirus-society-call-for-papers
24. Staff, W. P. X. I. N. (2020, May 1). Gov. Wolf outlines reopening plan, expresses hope that southwestern Pa. will be next. Retrieved from https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/allegheny-county/gov-wolf-expected-announce-reopening-plan-friday/NW4V4GA77FG4HL67WVZVHE7BFA/
25. Valkenburg, P. M., Semetko, H. A., & De Vreese, C. H. (1999). The effects of news frames
on readers' thoughts and recall. Communication research, 26(5), 550-569.
26. Weingart, P. (1998). Science and the media. Research policy, 27(8), 869-879.
27. World Health Organization. (2020). Preparedness, prevention and control of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for refugees and migrants in non-camp settings: interim guidance, 17 April 2020 (No. WHO/2019-nCoV/Refugees_Migrants/2020.1). World Health Organization.