Business Maverick

THE CONVERSATION

Study finds front-page stories about Covid-19 pandemic were sensationalist and unhelpful

Study finds front-page stories about Covid-19 pandemic were sensationalist and unhelpful

When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global public health emergency in March 2020, it became apparent that the news media’s role in communicating health information was going to be pivotal to help control the spread of the coronavirus and prevent disease.

As the world inches towards the end of the second year of the pandemic, it’s useful to take a look at how well or otherwise it’s done.

Previous research has shown that media reporting about Covid-19 can influence public attitudes towards the disease and help citizens understand how to protect themselves.

The media can also convey complicated health information in ways the public can understand. And it can also document the economic impact of the crisis and provide platforms for public debate about the issue.

The news media can also provide reliable, accurate information to help counter the “infodemic” of abundant and often false information about key issues, such as vaccines.

Trust levels in news media had been on the decline globally before the pandemic broke out. But they rebounded as people sought reliable information from trusted news outlets.

But the media’s role hasn’t been unblemished. News media have been accused of covering the crisis in a way that incites panic, speculation and fear – and of failing to offer solutions.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also exacerbated economic pressures on the media. This has caused staff cuts and even closures of media outlets across the continent.

Against this background, we undertook a study in which we asked the question: How did the South African news media cover the pandemic?

We found that front-page reports were mostly alarmist, sensationalist and negative in tone. Moreover, these reports did not see much possibility for individual agency in combating the pandemic.

This finding is important as it suggests that South African newspapers could have contributed to public anxiety and fear.

What we found

We focused on print media. For three months (1 March to 30 May 2020), we collected data from 11 English-language daily and weekly newspapers in South Africa.

Our study focused only on newspaper front-page stories, as these stories usually represent what a particular news outlet considers the main news of the day.

We analysed 681 stories on Covid-19 to explore the ways in which the papers presented the Covid-19 pandemic to their readers. We based our content analysis on the assumption that media can shape the public’s understanding of a health crisis, as well as people’s behaviour.

We strove to focus on a cross-section of daily broadsheets, weekly papers, Sunday papers and tabloids.

Our study included national newspapers Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times, City Press and Business Day. We also looked at regional newspapers Cape Times, The Witness, Daily Dispatch, Sowetan, Diamond Fields Advertiser, Sunday Sun and The Star.

We found that almost half (47.79%) of the front-page reports in both the broadsheet “quality” papers as well as the tabloids used an alarmist narrative when reporting on the pandemic.

Reports are defined as alarmist when they are negative in tone, use fearful words and metaphors, use sensationalist and emotionally charged language, focus on worst-case scenarios, and provide limited information to help citizens reduce their personal risk.

More than half (55%) of front-page reports were negative in tone, seeing very little possibility for individual agency and self-efficacy.

Such alarmist and negative media coverage can amplify public anxieties and fears, instead of providing people with information that may empower them to navigate the uncertainties they face amid the “infodemic” of over-abundant information.

Our analysis also found that most of the publications (72%) reported on the pandemic on their front pages in an episodic rather than thematic manner.

This meant that reports were mainly superficial and event-oriented, rather than offering in-depth analysis.

We also found that the reporting was predominantly alarmist, negative and episodic.

A large percentage of the articles also used sensationalist language. This means the specific use of words that make emotional appeals, with headlines such as “The war we have to win” and “Scramble for vital supplies.”

This perhaps makes sense, given the norms and conventions of hard-news journalism and the practice of using front-page stories to attract readers. However, the danger is that readers might be put into unnecessary panic mode.

We also found that the majority (81.86%) of the front-page reports didn’t provide health information or any information about how readers could avoid contracting or spreading the virus.

Only 3.23% of the reports debunked myths, rumours and gossip about the pandemic that were circulating widely on social media and messaging platforms.

And, although the pandemic affected everyone, the voices that readers of South African newspaper front pages heard more than any other were those of men in power.

Just over half of the front-page reports quoted or cited government officials (49.49%). Almost three-quarters of these government officials were male (75.37%).

Implications

The ways in which the media report on a national and global health emergency could have implications for how society responds to big challenges and threats.

Although our study was limited in its focus on front pages of newspapers, the findings nevertheless suggest a tendency to use alarmism and sensationalism to attract reader interest, without providing health information or offering solutions to mitigate their concerns.

The findings raise questions about the roles and responsibilities of South African newspapers in how they use their front pages to frame key issues, especially during times of crisis. DM168

Herman Wasserman is professor of media studies in the Centre for Film and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town. Chikezie E Uzuegbunam is a postdoctoral research Fellow at the University of Cape Town. Tanja Bosch is associate professor in media studies and production at the University of Cape Town. Wallace Chuma is associate professor at the University of Cape Town.

This article was first published by The Conversation.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper which is available for R25 at Pick n Pay, Exclusive Books and airport bookstores. For your nearest stockist, please click here.

Gallery

"Information pertaining to Covid-19, vaccines, how to control the spread of the virus and potential treatments is ever-changing. Under the South African Disaster Management Act Regulation 11(5)(c) it is prohibited to publish information through any medium with the intention to deceive people on government measures to address COVID-19. We are therefore disabling the comment section on this article in order to protect both the commenting member and ourselves from potential liability. Should you have additional information that you think we should know, please email [email protected]"

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Every seed of hope will one day sprout.

South African citizens throughout the country are standing up for our human rights. Stay informed, connected and inspired by our weekly FREE Maverick Citizen newsletter.