Abstract
This study conducted a framing analysis of the Sydney Morning Herald’s media coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Five main frames and themes were identified: (1) cases and numbers (e.g., active cases, recovered people, deaths, and tests), (2) awareness (of spread, prevention, treatment), (3) state policies, (4) collective interest and wellbeing, and (5) promotion of civic values. While all of these themes decreased in 2021 due to an overall decrease of reports in our sample (from 252 to 98 articles), the awareness frame increased, likely due to increasing coverage of vaccination awareness. In conclusion, the coverage of the pandemic reveals how the SMH prioritizes the Australian government’s interests in the control of the COVID-19 disease and how it promotes values of civility to protect human life. Since the SMH disseminates discourses that serve the interests of the Australian government, ethical principles of the media and journalism, such as independence, are compromised to promote civility that helps protect life.
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