Skip to content
1981
image of Public health editorials on the COVID-19 pandemic: Key positions, foci and agendas of Bangladeshi newspapers

Abstract

This study analyses newspaper editorials ( = 146) on a specific public health issue, i.e., COVID-19, published in selected Bangladeshi Bengali and English dailies ( = 2). The researcher uses the content analysis method to explore key themes, foci, positions, suggestions and agendas in the editorials. Editorials published during March–June 2020, the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, were chosen for analysis. The results show that the main themes and foci are the same, but secondary themes and foci differ. In addition, each newspaper has a different position, recommendation and agenda. The study found that several factors influence an editorial board’s decisions. These include editorial policy, the newspaper’s ideological stance, significant current events, societal context, the state system, government and political pressures, sociocultural issues and readers’ expectations. The theoretical framework for this research is grounded in agenda-setting theory, which posits that while the media may not control how the public thinks, it significantly shapes what the public thinks about by prioritizing specific issues. This study demonstrates how Bangladeshi newspapers used their editorials to set agendas during the pandemic, influencing public discourse and potentially shaping policy. The study’s outcomes address existing knowledge gaps and contribute to emerging discourses on crisis communication in the social sciences.

© 2024 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/ajms_00159_1
2025-01-21
2026-04-21

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Afzal, N. and Harun, M. (2020), ‘News framing of the Arab Spring conflict from the lens of newspaper editorials’, International Journal of English Linguistics, 10:1, pp. 352–63, https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n1p352.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Ahmed, A. T. (2020), ‘Factors that push Bangladeshi media to exercise self-censorship’, master thesis, Milwaukee, WI: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/2445/. Accessed 21 August 2024.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. BMJ (2024), ‘What is epidemiology?’, BMJ, https://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications/epidemiology-uninitiated/1-what-epidemiology. Accessed 19 August 2024.
  4. CDC Foundation (2024), ‘What is public health?’, CDC Foundation, https://www.cdcfoundation.org/what-public-health. Accessed 19 August 2024.
  5. Chang, C. (2015), ‘Inaccuracy in health research news: A typology and predictions of scientists’ perceptions of the accuracy of research news’, Journal of Health Communication, 20:2, pp. 177–86, https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2014.917746.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Columbia University: Mailman School of Public Health (2024), ‘What is public health policy?’, Columbia University: Mailman School of Public Health, 6 May, https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/public-health-policy-definition-examples-more. Accessed 19 August 2024.
  7. Crisis24 (2020), ‘Bangladesh: First cases of COVID-19 confirmed March 8’, Crisis24, 8 March, https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2020/03/bangladesh-first-cases-of-covid-19-confirmed-march-8. Accessed 4 July 2024.
  8. Djalante, R., Shaw, R. and DeWit, A. (2020), ‘Building resilience against biological hazards and pandemics: COVID-19 and its implications for the Sendai Framework’, Progress in Disaster Science, 6, pp. 1–7, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2020.100080.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Dressel, K. (2015), ‘Risk culture and crisis communication’, International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 18:2, pp. 115–24, https://doi.org/10.1504/IJRAM.2015.069020.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Elyazale, N. (2014), ‘Characteristics of newspaper editorials: “Chouftchouf” in “Almassae” Moroccan newspaper as a case study’, New Media and Mass Communication, 32:1, pp. 21–43, https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/NMMC/article/download/18405/18687. Accessed 13 August 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Evensen, D. T. and Clarke, C. E. (2012), ‘Efficacy information in media coverage of infectious disease risks: An ill predicament?’, Science Communication, 34:3, pp. 392–418, https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547011421020.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Fung, T. K. F., Namkoong, K. and Brossard, D. (2011), ‘Media, social proximity, and risk: A comparative analysis of newspaper coverage of Avian Flu in Hong Kong and in the United States’, Journal of Health Communication, 16:8, pp. 889–907, https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2011.561913.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Ghassabi, F. and Zare-Farashbandi, F. (2015), ‘The role of media in crisis management: A case study of Azarbayejan earthquake’, International Journal of Health System and Disaster Management, 3:2, pp. 95–102, https://doi.org/10.4103/2347-9019.151323.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Graber, D. A. and Dunaway, J. (2015), Mass Media and American Politics, 9th ed., Los Angeles, CA and Washington, DC: Sage and CQ Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Hachten, W. A. (1987), The World News Prism: Changing Media, Clashing Ideologies, Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Hofstede, G. and Hofstede, G. J. (2005), Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, 2nd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Jensen, J. D., Moriarty, C. M., Hurley, R. J. and Stryker, J. E. (2010), ‘Making sense of cancer news coverage trends: A comparison of three comprehensive content analyses’, Journal of Health Communication, 15:2, pp. 136–51, https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730903528025.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Kamruzzaman, M. and Sakib, S. N. (2020), ‘Bangladesh imposes total lockdown over COVID-19 water, rail and air travel suspended while public transport on roads will be banned from March 26’, Anadolu Agency, 25 March, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bangladesh-imposes-total-lockdown-over-covid-19/1778272. Accessed 11 July 2023.
  19. Koplan, J. P. P., Bond, T. C. P., Merson, M. H. P., Reddy, K. S. P., Rodriguez, M. H. P., Sewankambo, N. K. P. and Wasserheit, J. N. P. (2009), ‘Towards a common definition of global health’, Lancet, 373:9679, pp. 1993–95, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60332-9.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Law Insider (2022), ‘Public health education definition’, Law Insider, https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/health-care-practitioner. Accessed 17 July 2023.
  21. McCombs, M. E. and Shaw, D. L. (1972), ‘The agenda-setting function of mass media’, Public Opinion Quarterly, 36:2, pp. 176–87, https://doi.org/10.1086/267990.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Meyer, M. D. and Elrahman, O. A. (2019), ‘Institutional frameworks: Laying the groundwork for mainstreaming public health into transportation decision-making’, in T. Litman (ed.), Transportation and Public Health, Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 47–64.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Microsoft (2022), ‘Microsoft Excel’, Microsoft, https://office.microsoft.com/excel. Accessed 13 February 2023.
  24. Muno, M. (2020), ‘Coronavirus, the media and credibility’, DW, 20 April, https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-coronavirus-the-media-and-credibility/a-53172087. Accessed 17 July 2023.
  25. Nerone, J. (2004), ‘Four theories of the press in hindsight: Reflections on a popular model’, in M. Semati (ed.), New Frontiers in International Communication Theory, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, pp. 21–32.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Nielsen, R., Fletcher, R., Newman, N., Brennen, J. and Howard, P. (2020), Navigating the ‘Infodemic’: How People in Six Countries Access and Rate News and Information About Coronavirus, Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating-the-Coronavirus-infodemic.pdf. Accessed 27 August 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. OHCHR (2024), ‘The right to health’, OHCHR, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet31.pdf. Accessed 11 July 2023.
  28. Parvin, G., Rahman, M. H., Ahsan, R. and Abedin, M. A. (2020a), ‘Media discourse about the pandemic novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in East Asia: The case of China and Japan’, SSRN, https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3603875.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Parvin, G. A., Ahsan, R., Rahman, M. H. and Abedin, M. A. (2020b), ‘Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: The role of printing media in Asian countries’, Frontiers in Communication, 5, pp. 1–20, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.557593.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Pennock, B. (2000), A Genre Approach to Re-entry Patterns in Editorials, vol. 2, València: Universitat de València.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Roche, J. P. and Muskavitch, M. A. T. (2003), ‘Limited precision in print media communication of West Nile virus risks’, Science Communication, 24:3, pp. 353–65, https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547002250300.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Scheufele, D. A. and Tewksbury, D. (2007), ‘Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models’, Journal of Communication, 57:1, pp. 9–20, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-9916.2007.00326.x.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Schmitt, N. M. and Schmitt, J. (2008), ‘Definition of public health’, in W. Kirch (ed.), Encyclopedia of Public Health, Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 222–233, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5614-7_723.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. The Business Standard (2022), ‘Explanation by Mahfuz Anam’, The Business Standard, 19 May, https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/explanation-mahfuz-anam-423034. Accessed 19 August 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. The Daily Star (2020), ‘Closure only in coronavirus “red zones”: State minister’, The Daily Star, 13 June, https://www.thedailystar.net/coronavirus-deadly-new-threat/news/closure-only-coronavirus-red-zones-state-minister-1913733. Accessed 19 August 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Ubayasiri, K. (2019), ‘Framing statelessness and “belonging”: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s The Daily Star newspaper’, Pacific Journalism Review: Te Koakoa, 25:1–2, pp. 260–76, https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v25i1and2.472.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. USAID (2024), ‘Public health management’, USAID, https://www.hfgproject.org/what-we-do/public-health%20management/#. Accessed 11 July 2023.
  38. van Dijk, T. A. (1989), ‘Race, riots and the press: An analysis of editorials in the British press about the 1985 disorders’, Gazette, 43:3, pp. 229–53, https://doi.org/10.1177/001654928904300305.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. van Dijk, T. A. (1992), ‘Racism and argumentation: Race riot rhetoric in tabloid editorials’, in Argumentation Illuminated, Amsterdam: Universiteit of Amsterdam, pp. 242–59, https://discourses.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Teun-A.-van-Dijk-1992-Racism-and-argumentation.pdf. Accessed 13 September 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. van Dijk, T. A. (1998), ‘Opinions and ideologies in the press’, in A. Bell (ed.), Approaches to Media Discourse, Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 21–63.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Wahl-Jorgensen, K. (2009), ‘News production, ethnography, and power: On the challenges of newsroom-centricity’, in S. E. Bird (ed.), The Anthropology of News and Journalism: Global Perspectives, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, pp. 21–34.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Wanta, W. and Mahmoud, M. (1991), ‘Factors affecting media agenda-setting: An exploratory study’, Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 12:1, pp. 32–45, https://doi.org/10.1080/02560054.1991.9653049.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. WHO (2022), ‘Public health management’, WHO, https://www.capitalareaphn.org/about/what-is-public-health. Accessed 11 July 2023.
  44. Willig, I. (2013), ‘Newsroom ethnography in a field perspective’, Journalism, 14:3, pp. 372–87, https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884912442638.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. You, M., Joo, J., Park, E., Noh, G.-Y. and Ju, Y. (2017), ‘Emerging infectious disease content in newspaper editorials: Public health concern or leadership issue?’, Science Communication, 39:3, pp. 313–37, https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547017705392.
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/ajms_00159_1
Loading
Public health editorials on the COVID-19 pandemic: Key positions, foci and agendas of Bangladeshi newspapers
Intellect ; https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00159_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ajms_00159_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ajms_00159_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keywords: newspaper framing ; health crisis coverage ; crisis communication ; media discourse ; editorial analysis ; ideological stance ; pandemic reporting ; editorial impact

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test