ABSTRACT
Migration has been one of the most divisive issues in global politics and media has played a significant role in how people perceive and respond to it. This study employs peace journalism and framing theory to examine how Greek media portrayed migration to Greece during a dual crisis in early 2020: a Greek-Turkish border crisis and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It contributes to previous literature in two important ways. First, by offering insights of news coverage of migration in the aftermath of the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe. Second, by examining the less-researched topic of media representations of migration during the pandemic. Results indicate that refugees and migrants are dehumanized in media discourse, portrayed as "enemies at the gate" of Europe and as carriers of the virus. The content analysis finds variations between different media outlets including language, approach, problem/threat definition and stereotypes. The article also identifies important similarities in news coverage;most notably, the dominance of political elites as sources across all media content, the absence of refugee/migrant voice and the focus on policies of border control and enforcement. We suggest that these patterns ultimately function to obscure the complexity of the refugee and migration issue. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journalism Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
The present study examined positive and negative effects of health communication on the fight against the COVID-19 under lockdown, during the first wave of the pandemic in Greece. An online survey (N = 1,199) examined the relationships among media trust, emotional and cognitive reactions to COVID-19 information overload, media attention, and risk perceptions regarding COVID-19. Participants' media attention (exposure and attention combined) to information about the pandemic was positively related to their risk perceptions (perceived susceptibility and severity) about the disease. Media attention was dependent on participants' trust in the media as valid sources of information, but also on their cognitive and emotional reactions to COVID-19 information overload. In response to this overload, they produced negative thoughts and more negative (fear and anger) than positive (protection) emotions. These distinct reactions had differential effects on media attention and risk perceptions. Fear and protection were positively related to media attention and risk perceptions, while anger and negative thinking undermined attention and perceptions. Furthermore, all reactions depended on media trust, which mediated the effect on media attention. These findings highlighted desirable and some undesirable effects of health communication in the fight against COVID-19, which can be used to improve health communication in the future.