Sources of Information on Vaccines in El País and El Mundo: The COVID-19 Effect
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2023.26.3.9Keywords:
Information sources, mass media, pandemic, vaccinationAbstract
This study analyses the sources of information on vaccine content in the Spanish press El País and El Mundo, comparing the characteristics of these sources between the pre-pandemic (2012-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods. We identified and categorized 2,817 sources, 80 % concentrating on the pandemic. Scientific sources such as scientific organizations, governments, professional associations, and university scientists predominated during the pre-pandemic period. Non-scientific sources stood out during the pandemic, with government organizations, media outlets, and citizen groups being the most prevalent. The World Health Organization is cited as a source in both investigated periods. Regarding the number of sources cited per piece, contents without sources and those with one or two sources significantly reduced during the pandemic. In addition, the proportion of journalistic content with more than seven sources increased significantly. The most notable differences between the two periods are the high plurality of sources used during the coronavirus crisis, the internationalization of governmental sources, and the human factor. This increased number of sources indicates a greater depth in the subject and reflects the implications of the health crisis in journalism through much broader coverage but limited scientific information.
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