Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

submittedVersion

Publication Date

8-2021

Abstract

How have newspapers covered Covid-19 in Asia? To answer this question, I studied East Asian English-language newspapers published between January and July 2020. First, I measured the level of news media attention on Covid-19 among all reports. Second, I analyzed the tone and content of 330 editorials. I divided the analysis into two time periods: the initial crisis breakout period, when the number of infections was rising or high, and the crisis abatement period, when new infections declined to manageable levels. Findings show that although newspapers were slow to begin addressing the pandemic, their early editorials carried an alarming tone, which continued even after new infections dropped to low levels. This surprising level of concern continued because the topics shifted from health concerns to more ideological goals. Chinese and Taiwanese editors politicized the pandemic, using it as a wedge issue to attack international adversaries. Meanwhile, Korean editors used the economic fallout of the pandemic to press the government for pro-business economic reforms. In contrast, editors in Hong Kong exhibited cautious neutrality, largely avoiding politicization of the pandemic. These patterns of editorial coverage reveal the partizan nature of the press in East Asia, as well as salient political and economic undercurrents.

Keywords

Covid-19, issue attention, content analysis, East Asia, newspaper editorials, partizan media, newspapers, media coverage, pandemics

Discipline

Asian Studies | Journalism Studies | Public Health

Research Areas

Political Science

Publication

Journalism Studies

Volume

22

Issue

13

First Page

1853

Last Page

1873

ISSN

1461-670X

Identifier

10.1080/1461670X.2021.1971106

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

Embargo Period

9-14-2021

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.1971106

Download
Download Research Data

Share

COinS