{"id":2061,"date":"2021-03-28T23:51:45","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T23:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/?p=2061"},"modified":"2021-03-28T23:51:45","modified_gmt":"2021-03-28T23:51:45","slug":"study-u-s-medias-covid-coverage-slants-heavily-negative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/?p=2061","title":{"rendered":"Study: U.S. Media&#8217;s Covid Coverage Slants Heavily Negative"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by <a href=\"https:\/\/starkrealities.substack.com\/p\/study-us-medias-covid-coverage-slants\">Brian McGlinchey<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"starkrealities.jpg\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/media\/images2\/starkrealities.jpg\" alt=\"starkrealities.jpg\" width=\"480\" height=\"324\"><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve felt the media has heavily emphasized bad news throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, your judgment now has some scholarly corroboration.<\/p>\n<p>Dartmouth College and Brown University researchers have analyzed tens of thousands of Covid-19 articles and found major U.S. media outlets have overwhelmingly pushed negative narratives about the virus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most striking fact is that 87 percent of the U.S. stories are classified as negative, whereas 51 percent of the non-U.S. stories are classified as negative,\u201d according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com\/sites.dartmouth.edu\/dist\/4\/2318\/files\/2021\/03\/Why-Is-All-Covid-News-Bad-News-3_22_21.pdf\">study<\/a> by Dartmouth economics professor Bruce Sacerdote, Dartmouth\u2019s Ranjan Sehgal and Brown University\u2019s Molly Cook.<\/p>\n<h3>Thwarting Public Clarity About Covid-19<\/h3>\n<p>Though the study doesn\u2019t delve deep into the societal implications, there\u2019s little doubt excessive media negativity has contributed to public misunderstanding of the nature of the disease and the risk it poses to various segments of society.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Consider one of study\u2019s most glaring findings: Even when Covid-19 cases were falling nationally between April 24 and June 27, major media discussed rising caseloads 5.3 times as frequently as falling ones.<\/p>\n<p>The impact was evident: A June CBS News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/coronavirus-trump-americans-opinion-poll-28-06-2020\/\">poll<\/a> found a record number of Americans felt the fight against coronavirus was going badly. Of course, news of the poll was itself another negative story, feeding a media-facilitated vicious circle of fear.<\/p>\n<p>In July, a Franklin Templeton-Gallup <a href=\"https:\/\/us.beyondbullsandbears.com\/2020\/07\/28\/on-my-mind-they-blinded-us-from-science\/\">poll<\/a> found Americans had a poor understanding of the risk of Covid-19 death for different age cohorts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Participants said people aged 55+ accounted for a little over half of the deaths, when the actual share was 92%.<\/li>\n<li>Those under age 25 accounted for just 0.2% of deaths\u2014participants overestimated the share by a factor of 50.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The results aren\u2019t surprising, given the media\u2019s compulsion to accentuate rare occasions when teens and twentysomethings fall victim to the virus.<\/p>\n<p>In June, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/19\/health\/teen-death-coronavirus-wellness-partner\/index.html\">CNN<\/a> served up a particularly flagrant example of Covid scaremongering: an article titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/19\/health\/teen-death-coronavirus-wellness-partner\/index.html\">Healthy teenager who took precautions died suddenly of Covid-19.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The many who skimmed the headline received an anecdotal infusion of fearful misinformation. The minority who made it to the tenth paragraph would finally learn that doctors treating the purportedly \u201chealthy\u201d yet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/19\/health\/teen-death-coronavirus-wellness-partner\/index.html\">visibly obese<\/a> teen found he had Type 1 diabetes with a blood sugar level 10 times the norm.<\/p>\n<p>Two months earlier, the Centers for Disease Control <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/infectious-diseases\/coronavirus\/covid-19-hospitalization\">announced<\/a> that about 90% of those hospitalized with the virus had one or more underlying conditions. Among the most common were obesity (48%) and diabetes (28%). Rather than using this teen\u2019s grim story to enlighten the public about who is at greatest risk, CNN aggressively pushed a perception that nobody is safe.<\/p>\n<p>The media\u2019s failure to foster understanding of Covid-19 also seems evident in the many people still seen wearing masks while alone outdoors. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mugecevik\/status\/1348771275536297986?s=20\">According<\/a> to Dr. Muge Cevik, an infectious diseases and virology scientist at the University of St Andrews, \u201coutdoor risk is negligible unless it involves close interaction or you are in a crowded or semi-outdoor environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Perceptions of the Virus Influence Policy Opinions<\/h3>\n<p>Overly-negative Covid-19 reporting has implications well beyond individual feelings and practices: Those who\u2019ve been led to an exaggerated perception of their personal risk are more prone to support strict government policies to counter the virus.<\/p>\n<p>A recent Pew Research <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/science\/2021\/03\/05\/growing-share-of-americans-say-they-plan-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-or-already-have\/\">poll<\/a> confirms that individuals\u2019 perception of the pandemic heavily influences their opinions about various government interventions.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Pew asked if limiting restaurants to carry-out service has been necessary to counter the virus. Among those who think Covid-19 represents a minor threat to the U.S. population, 21% agreed. Support soared to 66% among those who deem the virus a major threat.<\/p>\n<p>Many are likely opining from a position of ignorance: How many know that a New York contact tracing study attributed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/restaurants-bars-account-less-2-percent-new-covid-19-cases-new-york-1554206\">less than 2%<\/a> of Covid-19 case transmission to bars and restaurants?<\/p>\n<h3>Negative About Positives<\/h3>\n<p>The Dartmouth and Brown researchers found \u201cthe negativity of the U.S. major media is notable even in areas with positive developments, including school re-openings and vaccine trials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When schools reopen to in-person teaching\u2014a move <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adn.com\/nation-world\/2020\/12\/02\/europes-schools-still-open-still-relatively-safe-through-covid-19-second-wave\/\">validated<\/a> by the experience of European schools\u2014U.S. media has been quick on the scene with a wet blanket: The study found 86% of mainstream media articles about school reopenings are negative.<\/p>\n<p>The easing of government restrictions reliably attracts negative media. Iowa governor Kim Reynolds\u2019s lifting of the state\u2019s mask mandate in early February sparked a wave of <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/wireStory\/iowa-governor-lifts-mask-mandate-public-health-input-75761491\">negative<\/a> reporting and opinion pieces, including a Washington Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/outlook\/2021\/02\/10\/iowa-lift-all-restrictions\/\">piece<\/a> that was actually titled \u201cWelcome to Iowa: a state that doesn\u2019t care if you live or die.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In September, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-09-11\/florida-reopens-bars-and-schools-in-risky-return-to-normality\">similar<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/2020\/09\/desantis-protest-bill-would-risk-lives-to-benefit-trump.html\">derision<\/a> was heaped on Florida governor Ron DeSantis when he lifted major statewide restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>However, when neither Florida nor Iowa experienced negative consequences, there was little media reporting of the good news that government restrictions and mandates may not be worthwhile after all.<\/p>\n<p>We see a similar pattern with the media\u2019s never-ending cycle of warning that various holidays and special events will bring a surge in contagion. From Thanksgiving to Christmas to the Super Bowl and spring break, we\u2019re constantly presented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/health\/post-christmas-coronavirus-surge-could-be-catastrophic\">headlines<\/a> stoking fears these occasions will cause major virus spikes.<\/p>\n<p>When predicted surges don\u2019t happen, the media gives little attention to the happy news that their alarms proved false. Instead, they\u2019re apparently hard at work drafting warnings about whatever\u2019s next on the calendar.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s as if mainstream journalists feel duty-bound to stoke Covid-19 fear, while paternalistically shielding us from welcome facts that could lead us to \u201clet our guard down.\u201d In doing so, they negligently disregard the collateral harm they do to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2021\/03\/16\/many-americans-continue-to-experience-mental-health-difficulties-as-pandemic-enters-second-year\/\">mental health<\/a> and our quality of life.<\/p>\n<h3>Hope for Greater Media Balance?<\/h3>\n<p>The Dartmouth-Brown study on U.S. media negativity prompted The New York Times\u2019 David Leonhardt to <a href=\"https:\/\/messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com\/template\/oakv2?abVariantId=0&amp;campaign_id=9&amp;emc=edit_nn_20210324&amp;instance_id=28413&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;productCode=NN&amp;regi_id=103909222&amp;segment_id=54072&amp;te=1&amp;uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2Ffc33b4ca-2e50-5185-a861-886c84c0da5f&amp;user_id=1420a5212187e456b67f5fbc192b6847\">call<\/a> for introspection: \u201cIf we\u2019re constantly telling a negative story, we are not giving our audience the most accurate portrait of reality. We are shading it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a welcome acknowledgment: Until <a href=\"https:\/\/nl.nytimes.com\/f\/a\/Je0nmPRFWXUaYAapTGXDqQ~~\/AAAAAQA~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~~\">recently<\/a>, Leonhardt\u2019s own Times email newsletter has mirrored the negative slant found across U.S. media.<\/p>\n<p>There are hints of a growing balance. For example, in recent weeks, major outlets have finally started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/03\/17\/politics\/ron-desantis-covid-florida\/index.html\">acknowledging<\/a> that Florida\u2019s post-reopening experience conflicts with the media-reinforced notion that shutdowns are an essential strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Concluding his review of the study, Leonhardt expressed gratitude to researchers Sacerdote, Cook and Sehgal for \u201cholding up a mirror to our work and giving us a chance to do better.\u201d Let\u2019s hope his sentiment proves highly contagious.<\/p>\n<p>Help Stark Realities build a following\u2014share this post and <a href=\"https:\/\/starkrealities.substack.com\/subscribe?\">subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Brian McGlinchey If you\u2019ve felt the media has heavily emphasized bad news throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, your judgment now has some scholarly corroboration. Dartmouth College and Brown University researchers have analyzed tens of thousands of Covid-19 articles and found major U.S. media outlets have overwhelmingly pushed negative narratives about the virus. \u201cThe most striking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2061"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2063,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061\/revisions\/2063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbmv.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}