Negativity in online news coverage of vaccination rates in Serbia: A content analysis

Abstract

The news media can influence how the public and policymakers feel about vaccination. Perhaps under the impression that such messages can be fear-inducing and thus mobilizing, the media often laments low immunization rates. This could, however, activate a powerful descriptive social norm (“many people are not getting vaccinated”) and may be especially ill-advised in the absence of a herd-immunity explanation (that if enough people have immunity through vaccination, the virus is contained). To identify typical media practices, we analyzed the content of 160 vaccination-related news stories by nine highest-trafficked news websites in Serbia, published July–December 2017, around the start of the measles outbreak. We coded both the news story as a whole and every vaccination-rate mention (N = 339). News stories framed current vaccination rates and changes in vaccination rates in a predominantly negative way (175/241 and 67/98, respectively) (e.g., “only 50% vaccinated”, “fewer parents vaccinating their children”). A total of 24/86 of news stories mentioning vaccination rates did not provide any numerical values. Reference groups for vaccination rates were rarely specified. Out of the 32 news stories mentioning the term herd or collective immunity, 11 explained the effect. We show that even routine communication of vaccination rates can be biased through (often negatively valenced) attribute frames and imprecise descriptions. We provide initial recommendations for news media organizations and journalists, including strategies to promote positive dynamic norms and prescriptive norms and explain benefits of herd immunity.

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“…Positive coverage of the importance and urgency of vaccination could help in creating awareness of the pandemic risk, as well as to promote vaccination compliance (DeVreese, 2005;Yanovitzky, 2002;Chong & Druckman, 2007;Wan Norshira, et al, 2020). Vaccination behaviour changes accorded with the amount of media coverage and the public's general knowledge of the vaccine (Ma et al, 2006;Kelly et al 2009;Lazić, A., & Zezelj, 2021).…”

“…The framing was initially developed by cognitive psychology researchers in the 1970s and then was adopted by Sociologist Erving Goffman in communication studies (Aderogba, 2021;Ardèvol-Abreu, 2015). Framing refers to the words, images, phrases, and presentation styles used in conveying messages to the audiences employed for representing stereotyped events and situations (Lazić & Zezelj, 2021;Chong & Druckman, 2007;Goffman, 1974;Minsky, 1975). Entman (1993, p.52) referred framing as "to select some aspects of perceived reality and make them more salient in a communication text, in such a way as to promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, and moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation for the item described".…”

“…The framing theory predicts that the presentation of an event will exert a preference when the audience believes that the context is relevant and applicable (Chong & Druckman, 2007;Druckman, 2004). The presentation guides public opinion Lazić & Zezelj, 2021). It is a standard part of the communication process where communicators act to construct a specific perspective that allows individuals to discover, recognise information (Kiptinness & Okoye, 2021;Kuypers, 2010;Kiptinness & Kiwanuka-Tondo, 2019;Goffman, 1974).…”