Running Head: Framing a Pandemic: Analysis of Newspapers in the H1N1 Coverage

The significance of the mass media in the contemporary world as a communicator of data particularly during crisis time, or for example various contingencies like war and occurrence of diseases, have been widely dealt in the literature. Throughout critical circumstances, the critical role played of mass media, in particular, the newspapers, as a result of being inexpensive and accessible, have happened to be a crucial means that are sought by the masses as to have a detailed reporting and up-to-date information and advice relating to the crisis in hand.

Ever since the outbreak of HINI in April 2009, the swine flu particularly among the countries of Asia, the importance of the mass media, has become significant. The mass media through the use of newspapers have managed to modify the behaviour of the masses to take up necessary standard healthcare procedures to reduce the growth of the HINI disease. To generate awareness amongst the common people besides to help the requirements of health officials, the newspapers reporting and gatekeeping endeavour to present the news in a lucid and cogent way that would help the target viewers. Thus, different methods for the dissemination of news that included media framing are espoused by the newspapers to provide information to the general public with the optimism to manage or reduce the affliction of the disease.

However, the Media reporting of H1N1 disease is rather a complicated health matter that is significant in contemporary world. Instead, reporting forms are the outcome of aggressive procedures among various players trying to limit the focus and leeway to critically explain problems, assign blames, and give suggestions who are accountable to deal them (Blumer, 1971; Gusfield, 1981; Hilgartner & Bosk, 1988). As stated in a study (Gollust & Lantz, 2009), the media reporting wield the power to influence the public views by two methods namely: “agenda-setting” and “framing.” As for the “Agenda-setting”, the selection of news mediation decides the issue for its reporting. It does not depend if the issue in-hand appeared in the newspapers or the general public consider it significant (Iyengar & Kinder, 1987).

On the other hand, the second key process of news media influencing the public is the news-framing that is the range of media of specific facets of social issues to highlight (Entman, 1993). As well, in a study (Gamson & Modigliani, 1987), a frame could have added importance as a “central organizing idea or narrative that provides meaning” to the procedures relating the narratives or issues. The writers who seek such frames are capable to detect them by means of following methods: catchwords, portrayals, symbols, paradigms and visual metaphors (Gamson & Modigliani, 1989).

In contrast, a study stated, “here the metaphor of a window frame comes to mind. The message framer has the choice of what is to be emphasized in the message, as the view through a window is emphasized by where the carpenter frames, or places, the window. If the window had been placed or framed on a different wall, the view would be different” (Zoch & Molleda, 2006).

In contrast, a study by Cobb and Elder suggested alternative feature of news-framing. The authors stated, “The symbols, or language, in which an issue is phrased, will affect those who become aware of the issue” (Cobb & Elder, 1972). However, the decision-making phase of selecting the correct “words or symbols” to express a particular denotation is a cognizant feature and endeavour to frame a news reporting of an issue in a particular manner. Through the utilization of a single or multiple framing methods and producing a narrative to shape the message (Gamson & Modigliani, 1989), the executive writers are in a position to better stress their frames in the news articles.

Discrete research on framing news regarding health issues is carried out by the corpus of analysts in that field. Thus, a research conducted by Park and Reber (2010) relating to the public relationship endeavours of health organisations to frame news reports noted that three US medical institutes viz. “the American Heart Association,” “the American Cancer Society” and “the American Diabetes Association” emphasized the framing of medical narratives was considered the powerful news-frame that laid stress on social responsibilities for health matters among the masses. Nevertheless, to show their strong tendencies, the medical institutes utilized the social support/educational frame for news. In a study news-framing was sought in health communications through spiritual issues and writings (Holt et al., 2010).

However, De Zwart et al. (2009) considered the supposed risk, risk observations concerning SARs and various contagious syndromes. The authors noted in a survey of more than 3000 respondents that the supposed danger of the outbreak of SARS in Asian and European countries was greater than with the other ailments. The supposed risks of SARS were found at middle-level and supposed rigorousness was also greater than the other ailments. Hence, the rather greater perceived danger for SARS disease shows that it poses a greater risk to the general public and there is an urgent need of communication if there is an outbreak of that disease.

Nevertheless, it is vital for the process of framing is vital for reporting through the mass media. However, in the way the medical issues are framed by the mass media could lead to the production of various outlooks among the people. The people react in a different way when the news is framed which may be either positive or negative (Ferguson & Gallagher, 2007). Thus, the mass media in a country are vital communicators of information which could shape the perception of towards particular issues.

As stated by Ahmad et al. (2009) the spread of H1N1 disease, the SARS endemic in 2002-2003 and the rising cases of humans affected with H5N1 disease have increased endeavours to deal disease eruption all over the world. A study based on SARSControl, the researchers claimed that due to ignorance and late global interaction caused quick proliferation of SARS disease. The study showed that there was a need worldwide for quick communication of data, a reliable healthcare set-up and in the investment of massive medical deliveries.

Indeed, throughout a calamity, people require accurate data and have access to particular guidelines to act appropriately. The authors Tanner et al. (2009) noted in a “content analysis” study carried out on emergency cases on about hundred local TV websites that nearly 96% of the cases were related on natural calamities and various catastrophes like war, typhoons and epidemics had “mobilising information” (MI) that could be useful to general public to act wisely on the pre-existing methods. Thus, the significance of data propagation and the manner wherein the epidemics are portrayed by the mass media, the study utilized “frame analysis” to study media exposure of H1N1 disease and how the news framing could be different among the media.

In nutshell, the “media framing” and “frame building,” have become an important aspect of mass media and component of academic studies. Despite the fact the news framing helps the general public to comprehend the issues lucidly, it must be viewed that the news framing is simply a shortcut to media classification and easier approach to explaining the issue in hand. However, where the issues that relate to life and death are dealt, in particular where widespread war is prevalent as a result of globalization, the media professionals must consider the utilization of suitable news frames.