Politics, economy and society in the coverage of COVID-19 by elite newspapers in US, UK, China and Brazil: a text mining approach

Abstract

We analyzed 95,970 stories on COVID-19 published in 2020 by newspapers in US, UK, China and Brazil — countries marked by controversial management of the crisis. Through a text mining approach, we identified main topics, subjects, actors and the level of attention. The coverage was politicized in “The New York Times” and “Folha de S. Paulo”; focused on health aspects in “The Guardian”; and emphasized the economic situation in “China Daily”. In this sense, the pandemic has motivated a deeper approach to the multiple dimensions of science and health, pointing to a broader perspective of science communication.

Popularização da Ciência na Perspectiva CTS: Uma Revisão de Literatura

“…1) Jornalismo científico e mídias digitais na atualidade representam um importante meio de interação do público com a ciência e, portanto, possuem grande responsabilidade (Massarani et al 2020;Massarani & Neves, 2021;Neves & Massarani, 2022). 2) Jornalismo científico e mídias não são neutros, são permeados por interesses diversos e há distintos posicionamentos e formas de comunicação possíveis (Palma, 2013;Sousa et al 2014;Massarani et al 2020;Massarani & Neves, 2021;Silva & Ovigli, 2021).…”

Popularização da Ciência na Perspectiva CTS: Uma Revisão de Literatura

“…b) In publications analyzing science journalism and digital media Science journalism and digital media can be considered a subtopic within the theme of popularization of science. Overall, these studies indicate that: 1) Science journalism and digital media currently represent important means of interaction between the public and science and therefore have a great responsibility (Massarani et al, 2020;Massarani & Neves, 2021;Neves & Massarani, 2022). 2) Science journalism and media are not neutral; they are permeated by diverse interests and there are different positions and forms of communication possible (Palma, 2013;Sousa et al, 2014;Massarani et al, 2020;Massarani & Neves, 2021;Silva & Ovigli, 2021).…”

In a reciprocal relationship? Examining the development and relationship between media trust and satisfaction with the government’s Coronavirus policy in Germany over time

“…At least for a while, almost all other political issues were pushed off the media's agenda. As a result, Coronavirus coverage was clearly politicized, with a strong focus on political issues and actors (Hart et al, 2020;Neves & Massarani, 2022;Tejedor et al, 2020); even the health crisis was primarily viewed from a political perspective (Crabu et al, 2021). Likewise, there was a strong focus on the political aspects, especially regarding German politics, of German Coronavirus coverage (Maurer, Wagner, & Weiß, 2021).…”