Abstract

REGUERO SANZ, Itziar; JIMENEZ, Virginia Martín; BERDON PRIETO, Pablo  and  HERRERO IZQUIERDO, Jacobo. The discourse on COVID-19: a study in the Italian, Spanish and German press. Revista de Comunicación [online]. 2021, vol.20, n.1, pp.239-267. ISSN 1684-0933.  http://dx.doi.org/10.26441/rc20.1-2021-a13.

This research analyses the opinion articles about the COVID-19 published in the main newspapers of Italy, Spain and Germany. To this purpose, a qualitative inductive-deductive content analysis methodology has been used along two complementary phases. The first included the detailed analysis of the sample, and the second involved a method of comparative textual analysis using the Sketch Engine software. The results show the existence of some common issues about the virus, although with different approaches depending on the country: a certain vision marked by national politics in the Spanish case, an interpretative view in the case of Germany and a more social-humanistic perspective in the Italian dailies. A discourse contrary to generating panic is common in the three countries studied, but with a clear underestimation of the virus’ potential consequences in the first couple of months after the outbreak in Wuhan as regards the Spanish and Italian press.

Keywords : COVID-19; press; opinion; Spain; Italy; Germany.

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