Media Frames across Stages of Health Crisis: A Crisis Management Approach to News Coverage of Flu Pandemic

Abstract

Dividing a crisis management process into three stages, this study examined news coverage of swine flu crisis in terms of news frames, mortality exemplars, vaccine problems, evaluation approaches to risk magnitudes and news sources. Results revealed that various framing strategies were used in news media at different stages of the flu crisis.The frames of health risk, societal problems, political/legal issues and prevention/health education were mostly used at the pre-crisis stage, while the medical/scientific frame was regularly utilized at the post-crisis stage to highlight medical treatment and scientific research.The evaluation approaches were also employed differently. The qualitative approach was mostly used at the pre-crisis stage, while the quantitative and statistical approaches were applied frequently at the post-crisis stage. Health professionals were widely cited as news sources at each stage to increase public awareness of crisis severity, and government officials and politicians repeatedly appeared to function strategically toward the achievement of public-institution effectiveness at the pre-crisis stage.

Analyzing Spanish News Frames on Twitter during COVID-19—A Network Study of El País and El Mundo

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Unpacking the black box: How to promote citizen engagement through government social media during the COVID-19 crisis

“…Crises are situations in which social, institutional, and organizational interests are directly threatened, leading to the need for immediate action and uncertain results (Rosenthal, Hart, & Kouzmin, 1991). Crisis events include natural and technical disasters, terrorist attacks, international conflicts, nuclear threats, civil unrest, and global pandemics (Pan & Meng, 2016;Rosenthal et al, 1991). Effective crisis management requires timely communication and coordination between government agencies and stakeholders (Elbanna et al, 2019;Reddy et al, 2009); however, crises are often dynamic and complex, which causes many difficulties, such as extensive bureaucracy, policy-related constraints, and lack of resources (Harrison & Johnson, 2019;Panagiotopoulos et al, 2014;Reddy et al, 2009).…”

The COVID-19 response system and collective social service provision. Strategic network dimensions and proximity considerations

“…To a great extent, how these emergent inter-organizational networks articulate and integrate within the emergency context, shape their results (McGuire 2006 ). This is particularly true in health crises which have become more frequent and intense over the last decade (Pan and Meng 2016 ), see the SARS, ‘avian flu’, ‘swine flu’, and Ebola.…”

“…The COVID-19 response system and collective social service… crises which have become more frequent and intense over the last decade (Pan and Meng 2016), see the SARS, 'avian flu', 'swine flu', and Ebola.…”