Appalachian Broadcast News Coverage of the Coronavirus: A Content Analysis of Media Framing in the Midst of a Health Crisis

Abstract

Media framing of broadcast news is more than identifying an issue, but rather interpreting and explaining the issue for others to better understand. Previous framing scholarship in broadcast news, as well as COVID-19 specifically, has focused mostly on national or international news, so this research explores broadcast coverage from a local perspective in a rural location. During the health crisis of COVID-19, the specific use of media frames can impact how people made sense of the pandemic. Through a content analysis of 165 newscast scripts from five different local news stations in Appalachia, this study contributes to the understanding of media framing from a new perspective. Scripts were coded for five general media frames (conflict, human interest, economic consequences, morality, and attribution to responsibility), on top of four newly emerging media frames (ethnicization, politicization, fear/scaremongering and hope) in reporters’ packages. The presence of frames, a dominant frame, and the story focus were all assessed to explore similarities and differences in broadcast news coverage over the course of one year during COVID-19. Results yielded significant use of the human interest and attribution of responsibility frames, as well as an increased use of politicalization. Use of frames varied from station to station, suggesting that ownership and station location could impact journalists’ frame choice during a health crisis. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.