Content Analysis and Implications of Media Reporting in Brazil and the United States during the 2015 – 2016 Zika Virus Epidemic in the Americas 
Creators: name: Webster, Hannah
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2020

description: The 2015-2016 Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic created international panic once health care providers suggested and researchers confirmed causation between maternal ZIKV infection and fetal microcephaly and other birth defects. On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ZIKV epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) — a status that lasted more than nine months before it was lifted on November 18, 2016.  Around the world, local, national and international media outlets told the story of the epidemic. This paper aims to analyze media reporting of two respected media organizations for specific content themes to gain a greater understanding of the editorial priorities and the reporting strategies utilized. A scoping review of the available literature was used to understand the current knowledge of the international media climate around ZIKV. A media content review of the 138 articles published in The New York Times and the 72 articles published in O Globo with the word “Zika” in the headline was conducted to identify themes of interest to represent media coverage between January 1 and June 15, 2016. The themes reviewed, based on information gathered in the scoping review, were the presence of anecdotes, the inclusion of specific prevention strategies, maternal role or female responsibility, biologic or the epidemiologic information about the outbreak, the effect of the epidemic on economies or business, the role of poverty or race, the government’s role in terms of funding and legalization of abortion, the epidemic’s impact on the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the impact on Brazil or Brazilians, the impact on the United States or Americans, and the epidemic’s global impact. The content review revealed the prevalence of themes in overall reporting during the period of interest, and three themes of interest were identified for further analysis. Thirty articles (22%) published in The New York Times and 6 (8%) articles published in O Globo contained at least one anecdote or individual story of someone affected by the virus. Sixty-seven (49%) articles published in The New York Times and 33 (46%) articles published in O Globo included commentary on female responsibility or maternal role in the ZIKV epidemic. Twenty-five (18%) articles in The New York Times, and 11 (15%) articles published in O Globo included specific prevention strategies to combat the virus.    The results highlight the need for a greater reporting focus on specific prevention strategies, especially in the case of the ZIKV epidemic, in which health behaviors had direct effects on the epidemic’s outcome. The prevalent media focus on female responsibility and maternal role potentially relates to the biologic nature of the virus as well as societal tendency to place responsibility and blame on women to manage undesired sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Anecdotal storytelling was under-utilized as a reporting strategy in media coverage. When used ethically and tactfully, anecdotes can be a powerful tool to help the reader understand a news story’s impact and empower a victim or survivor to be included in the storytelling. This paper reveals a need for an overarching international framework of specific guidelines for media reporting during a PHEIC. By using ethical principles of independent media, current guidelines and knowledge about media impact on health behavior, a comprehensive plan for international media coverage during a PHEIC must be developed and widely utilized. The plan’s objective should be to use health journalism to hold the powerful accountable, share the facts, do no harm, compliment important public health work and positively impact public well-being. This framework must be developed realistically in the context of the 21st century digital media climate, and specific recommendations should be utilized in media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.