Political communication, press coverage and public interpretation of public health statistics during the coronavirus pandemic in the UK

This article examines the way numbers, often concerning risk, were communicated by politicians, covered by the news media and interpreted by the public during the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis in the United Kingdom. To explore this topic, we adopted a mixed-methods approach that included conte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of communication (London) 2022-12, Vol.37 (6), p.646-662
Main Authors: Lawson, B.T., Lugo-Ocando, Jairo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Communication
Consistency
Content analysis
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Crises
Focus groups
Full Length
Government
Health care policy
Health education
Health information
Health policy
Mass media
Media coverage
Narratives
News media
Pandemics
Political communication
Politics
Public health
Risk communication
Statistics
Textual analysis
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Summary:This article examines the way numbers, often concerning risk, were communicated by politicians, covered by the news media and interpreted by the public during the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis in the United Kingdom. To explore this topic, we adopted a mixed-methods approach that included content analysis, comparative thematic analysis and a series of focus groups. Whilst coherency and consistency are touted as essentials in public health messaging, our textual analysis highlighted the disconnect between political communication and news media coverage. Whereas the UK government relied on vague references to curves and peaks to underpin a narrative of consistency and certainty in public health policy, the UK news media referred to specific numbers from within and outside the UK to criticise the government's approach as haphazard and lacking. This disconnect gained even more significance during our focus groups. When discussing numbers, participants referred to news media coverage rather than political messaging, using these figures to challenge the timing and nature of the UK lockdown. These findings present a significant critique of the UK government's communication during this health crisis. Instead of putting forward a coherent, homogenous and clear message to the public, the discourse around numbers and risk was diffracted, disconnected and opaque. This was largely due to the competing narratives presented by the news media.
ISSN:0267-3231
1460-3705
DOI:10.1177/02673231221099407