Explaining the virus from the front pages: a study of Spanish newspapers
Abstract
Introduction: The study of the relationship between the current health crisis and media contributes to the understanding of how society captures and guides the situation, given the influence of topics reported by media. Objectives: This research aims to study the evolution of the presence of news about COVID-19 on the front pages of main Spanish newspapers. Methodology: The method is based on the review of the three most relevant Spanish newspapers (El País, El Mundo and La Vanguardia) from January 21 to March 14, 2020, drawing from a content analysis of the front pages (N = 301). Results: Results show, on one hand, the increasing weight of COVID-19 on the front pages, and, on the other, although there are differences between newspapers, these do not reveal a ‘global’ presence of the virus on covers until a few days before the declaration of the state of alarm. Conclusion: The study contributes to the understanding of the evolution of COVID-19 from the analysis of newspaper front pages in Spain and results may involve comparative analyzes in relation to other crises, time periods and geographic contexts.
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