COVID-19 Pandemic in Media: Agenda Setting Theory

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COVID-19 Pandemic in Media: Agenda Setting Theory

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the main topic of discussion in all the media for over a year now. For the analysis, the currently gaining attention theory about the laboratory origin of the virus was chosen, as well as its coverage in authoritative publications, in particular in The Washington Post on June 3, 2021. Agenda Setting Theory is used for consideration, which explains how different types of agendas are formed through the media. According to the theory, the media reflect and filter the facts of the reality in which people live (West & Turner, 2021). Thus, information resources allocate a certain way to present a formed agenda to people for consideration. Further, the presented media material identifies which issues are related to a specific agenda and encourages public and political response. According to the theory, the agenda covered by the media can also be influenced by other elements, in particular the public. Thus, Agenda Setting Theory explains how the agenda is formed and what impact it has.

The origin of the COVID-19 virus was discussed briefly at the start of the pandemic. However, in recent days, consideration of the laboratory origin of the coronavirus has become increasingly popular in the media. The article A scientist adventurer and Chinas Bat Woman are under scrutiny as coronavirus lab-leak theory gets another look was published in The Washington Post on 3 July 2021. The report was prepared by Chinese correspondent Eva Dou and China bureau chief Lily Kuo. In this article, the authors discuss the facts related to the emergence and spread of doubts about the theory of transmission of the virus from bats to humans. Thus, the speakers are the authors themselves who describe the aspects of this event. It is important that both correspondents are Chinese, which makes the news particularly noteworthy. The parts that need to be emphasized for analysis are:

Suspicions about the lab were elevated in January after the U.S. State Department said it had reason to believe (Dou & Kuo, 2021).
Last week, President Biden directed U.S. intelligence agencies to redouble efforts to determine the pandemics origin (Dou & Kuo, 2021).
Relman is one of 18 scientists who wrote an open letter last month urging serious consideration of the possibility that the pandemic originated with a lab accident (Dou & Kuo, 2021).

The highlighted sections allow establishing how the theory explains the agenda-setting process. First of all, attention should be paid to the fact that this topic was not discussed in the media for a certain time. Agenda Setting Theory assumes the concept of silence, according to which some issues may not be considered important enough compared to other aspects of the agenda. In this case, the discussion of the origin of the virus began when a vaccine was developed, and people were no longer so worried about the pandemic itself. In the media, the first discussions of the open letter can be found in March, although the article was probably not published for a long time, as it was considered controversial.

Moreover, the theory describes how the public perceives a certain agenda, which in turn determines its popularity in media. Currently, the relevance of this topic is increased, as everyone wants to know what caused the global pandemic. Additionally, the uncertainty on this issue is extremely high, as China does not release reliable information. Thus, public interest encourages the emergence of discussions of the laboratory origin of the virus in information resources. This agenda appears periodically in all reputable publications of the world, which also increases interest in it.

Thus, public attention to this topic ensures the emergence of discussions in the media. At the same time, the increased amount of material on the agenda in the media increases the number of interested people. It is noteworthy that in this case, the statement of the U.S. State Department provided the development of the discussion. Finally, the public and media agenda was the reason for the governments response and, in particular, Bidens order to determine the origin of the virus. It is also noteworthy that the general agenda is still COVID-19, while the shoals highlight the more relevant issue of its origin. This fact is consistent with the theory, since at earlier stages information resources were focused on measures to combat the virus, then vaccines, and now on a more acute issue.

Thus, using the example of this article, one can consider the process of forming an agenda and its impact on the perception of facts. The theory of the laboratory origin of the coronavirus began to be actively discussed only after the vaccine was invented, which distracted peoples attention from the disease. Additionally, people are interested in the issue and have a high level of uncertainty, which also increases the relevance of the agenda. The Agenda Setting Theory lens really helps to understand how the agenda is formed with the participation of three actors: the media, the public, and policies. Therefore, it accurately describes the interaction between them, which leads to the development of the agenda and response to it.

Thus, it can be concluded that the agenda is distributed if there is a certain public interest, which in this case was caused by the government statement. Further, the media focused on the most pressing issues related to coronaviruses, reflecting reality. Finally, the agenda already drawn up by them began to actively influence the public, which prompted the government to act in accordance with the agenda. This theory explains in detail the process of developing an interest in a particular topic and its social influence. However, it does not discuss how the initial focus of a subject is formed; or how the facts of reality become meaningful or ignored.

References

Dou, E., & Kuo, L. (2021). A scientist adventurer and Chinas Bat Woman are under scrutiny as coronavirus lab-leak theory gets another look. The Washington Post. Web.

West, R., & Turner, L. (2021). Introducing communication theory: Analysis and application (7th ed.). McGraw Hill.

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