A Content Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of COVID-19 Pandemic for Developing a Pandemic Management Framework

Zafri, Niaz Mahmud; Afroj, Sadia; Nafi, Imtiaz Mahmud; Uddin Hasan, Md. Musleh

BACKGROUND: The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic has not only shaken the global health sector, but also almost every other sector including the economic and education sectors. Newspapers are performing a significant role by featuring the news of COVID-19 from its very onset. The temporal fluctuation of COVID-19 related key themes presented in newspaper articles and the findings obtained from them could offer an effective lesson in dealing with future epidemics and pandemics. AIM AND METHOD: This paper intends to develop a pandemic management framework through an automated content analysis of local newspaper coverage of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. To fulfill the aim, 7,209 newspaper articles are assembled and analyzed from three popular local newspapers named “bdnews24.com”, “New Age”, and “Prothom Alo English” over the period from January 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020. RESULTS: Twelve key topics are identified: origin and outbreak of COVID-19, response of healthcare system, impact on economy, impact on lifestyle, government assistance to the crisis, regular updates, expert opinions, pharmaceutical measures, non-pharmaceutical measures, updates on vaccines, testing facilities, and local unusual activities within the system. Based on the identified topics, their timeline of discussion, and information flow in each topic, a four-stage pandemic management framework is developed for epidemic and pandemic management in future. The stages are preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. CONCLUSION: This research would provide insights into stage-wise response to any biological hazard and contribute ideas to endure future outbreaks.