Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19
Improper use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 has been linked to 17,000 preventable deaths. This content analysis study investigates the emergence of this conspiracy theory, the role of the news media in perpetuating and disseminating it, and whether coverage differed by outlet political alig...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | COVID |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8112/4/12/132 |
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| author | Robert Dickinson Dominique Makowski Harm van Marwijk Elizabeth Ford |
| author_facet | Robert Dickinson Dominique Makowski Harm van Marwijk Elizabeth Ford |
| author_sort | Robert Dickinson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Improper use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 has been linked to 17,000 preventable deaths. This content analysis study investigates the emergence of this conspiracy theory, the role of the news media in perpetuating and disseminating it, and whether coverage differed by outlet political alignment. We searched Nexis for relevant media from 17–31 March 2020. A total of 128 media pieces were coded qualitatively and thematically analysed. The news media amplified the voices of right-wing political elites and used a variety of manipulative tactics in reporting on hydroxychloroquine. Powerful ingroup/outgroup mechanisms polarised the American public and created a schism between Trump supporters and the public health apparatus that reflected the political asymmetry in reporting on hydroxychloroquine. The widespread use of optimistic framings and anecdotal evidence contributed to public misunderstandings of the evidence. Therefore, strategic and interventionist public health efforts are required to combat misinformation. This study informs discussions of how politicised media coverage catalyses conspiracism. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc6f01d8af0245f7ade5c959c672c10e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-8112 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | COVID |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc6f01d8af0245f7ade5c959c672c10e2024-12-27T14:19:26ZengMDPI AGCOVID2673-81122024-11-014121873189610.3390/covid4120132Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19Robert Dickinson0Dominique Makowski1Harm van Marwijk2Elizabeth Ford3School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH, UKSchool of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH, UKDepartment of Primary Care and Public Health, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton BN1 9PH, UKDepartment of Primary Care and Public Health, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton BN1 9PH, UKImproper use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 has been linked to 17,000 preventable deaths. This content analysis study investigates the emergence of this conspiracy theory, the role of the news media in perpetuating and disseminating it, and whether coverage differed by outlet political alignment. We searched Nexis for relevant media from 17–31 March 2020. A total of 128 media pieces were coded qualitatively and thematically analysed. The news media amplified the voices of right-wing political elites and used a variety of manipulative tactics in reporting on hydroxychloroquine. Powerful ingroup/outgroup mechanisms polarised the American public and created a schism between Trump supporters and the public health apparatus that reflected the political asymmetry in reporting on hydroxychloroquine. The widespread use of optimistic framings and anecdotal evidence contributed to public misunderstandings of the evidence. Therefore, strategic and interventionist public health efforts are required to combat misinformation. This study informs discussions of how politicised media coverage catalyses conspiracism.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8112/4/12/132public healthhealth policycontent analysismedia analysismisinformationconspiracism |
| spellingShingle | Robert Dickinson Dominique Makowski Harm van Marwijk Elizabeth Ford Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19 COVID public health health policy content analysis media analysis misinformation conspiracism |
| title | Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19 |
| title_full | Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19 |
| title_short | Exploring the Role of News Outlets in the Rise of a Conspiracy Theory: Hydroxychloroquine in the Early Days of COVID-19 |
| title_sort | exploring the role of news outlets in the rise of a conspiracy theory hydroxychloroquine in the early days of covid 19 |
| topic | public health health policy content analysis media analysis misinformation conspiracism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8112/4/12/132 |
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