Politicization and Polarization in COVID-19 News Coverage

This study examines the level of politicization and polarization in COVID-19 news in U.S. newspapers and televised network news from March to May 2020. Using multiple computer-assisted content analytic approaches, we find that newspaper coverage is highly politicized, network news coverage somewhat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science communication 2020-10, Vol.42 (5), p.679-697
Main Authors: Hart, P. Sol, Chinn, Sedona, Soroka, Stuart
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Media coverage
News media
Polarization
Research Note
Scientists
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Summary:This study examines the level of politicization and polarization in COVID-19 news in U.S. newspapers and televised network news from March to May 2020. Using multiple computer-assisted content analytic approaches, we find that newspaper coverage is highly politicized, network news coverage somewhat less so, and both newspaper and network news coverage are highly polarized. We find that politicians appear in newspaper coverage more frequently than scientists, whereas politicians and scientists are more equally featured in network news. We suggest that the high degree of politicization and polarization in initial COVID-19 coverage may have contributed to polarization in U.S. COVID-19 attitudes.
ISSN:1075-5470
1552-8545
DOI:10.1177/1075547020950735