Political polarization in the frequency British newspapers mention scientists with different views on COVID-19

Abstract

Background. Measures against the COVID-19 pandemics have been subject of political polarization also in the United Kingdom. While this has been studied in the broader context of misinformation, the debate around non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) , the and the political implications of different views of their risks and benefits, has not been taken into account with sufficient depth Research question. Our research question was: Are politically-oriented UK newspapers more likely to promote a more, or less, precautionary views toward the use of NPIs?Methods. We used the Mediacloud database to search the names of scientists with different precautionary views (i.e.: signatories of the Great Barrington Declaration and of the John Snow Memorandum) and analyze the frequency with which they are mentioned in newspapers with different political orientation.Results. Scientists with more precautionary positions are more likely to be mentioned in left-leaning newspapers, whereas those with less precautionary views on right-leaning ones. The two groups segregated also in terms of co-authorship of academic papers.Conclusions. Scientists with different opinions in relation to NPIs are mentioned by UK newspapers in a way that is dependent on the political orientation of the newspaper.