Balanced reporting and boomerang effect: an analysis of Croatian online news sites vaccination coverage and user comments during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pavić, Željko and Šuljok, Adrijana and Jurlina, Juraj (2022) Balanced reporting and boomerang effect: an analysis of Croatian online news sites vaccination coverage and user comments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines, 10 (12). pp. 1-13. ISSN 2076-393X

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10122085

Abstract

IN ENGLISH: The purpose of this paper was to explore online media coverage of COVID-19 vaccination and user reactions to the different types of coverage. The authors aimed to investigate possible boomerang effects that arise when COVID-19 media coverage is assertive and confident, and to determine the effects of balanced reporting. A two-stage random sample comprised a total of 300 articles published in three Croatian online news sites during a period from 1 February 2020, through 15 January 2022. The data were categorized using human coding content analysis, while reliability of coding was checked by using two coders and calculating reliability coefficients. The data were analyzed by means of negative binomial regression analysis. The results revealed that COVID-19 reporting was mainly consensual, i.e., it provided largely affirmative information about vaccines. However, user comments were highly polarized and mostly negative, with the majority of anti-vaccination tropes linked to the “corrupt elites”. Based on the user comments, the negative influence of balanced reporting on COVID-19 vaccines and the existence of boomerang effect in cases of the overtly persuasive affirmative reporting was also established. The boomerang effect did not depend on the context, i.e., on the type of reporting. This study extends previous research on balanced reporting and boomerang effects by analyzing online comments as a potentially good parallelism of the offline discursive strategies of the pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination communication. The results of the study can be used for the adjustment of strategic communication targeting the vaccine hesitant audience. Based on the study results, it is recommended that relativization and politicization of science should be prevented by not equating scientific consensus with absolute epistemological certainty and by addressing legitimate concerns of vaccine hesitant persons without putting explicit blame on them. --------------- IN CROATIAN: Svrha ovog rada bila je istražiti izvještavanje internetskih medija o cijepljenju protiv COVID-19 bolesti i reakcije korisnika na različite vrste izvještavanja. Autori su imali za cilj istražiti mogući bumerang učinak koji nastaju kada je medijsko izvještavanje o COVID-19 bolesti asertivno i samopouzdano te utvrditi učinke uravnoteženog izvještavanja. Slučajni uzorak obuhvatio je ukupno 300 članaka objavljenih na trima hrvatskim internetskim portalima u razdoblju od 1. veljače 2020. do 15. siječnja 2022. godine. Podaci su kategorizirani analizom sadržaja, dok je pouzdanost kodiranja provjerena korištenjem dva kodera i izračunavanjem koeficijenata pouzdanosti. Podaci su analizirani negativnom binomnom regresijom. Rezultati su otkrili da je izvještavanje o COVID-u 19 bilo uglavnom konsenzualno, tj. pružalo je uglavnom afirmativne informacije o cjepivima. Međutim, komentari korisnika bili su vrlo polarizirani i većinom negativni, a većina antivakserskih tropa povezana je s "korumpiranim elitama". Na temelju komentara korisnika također je utvrđen negativan utjecaj uravnoteženog izvještavanja o cjepivima protiv COVID-19 te postojanje efekta bumeranga u slučajevima otvorenog uvjerljivog afirmativnog izvještavanja. Efekt bumeranga nije ovisio o kontekstu, odnosno o vrsti izvještavanja. Rezultati studije mogu se koristiti za prilagodbu strateške komunikacije usmjerene na publiku koja oklijeva s cijepljenjem.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Language: English. - Title in Croatian: Uravnoteženo izvještavanje i bumerang efekt: analiza pisanja hrvatskih online portala o cijepljenju tijekom COVID-19 pandemije. - Article number: 2085.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Vaccination, COVID-19, media, Internet, boomerang effect, balanced reporting, vaccine hesitancy (cijepljenje, COVID-19, mediji, Internet, bumerang efekt, uravnoteženo izvještavanje, oklijevanje prema cijepljenju)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Depositing User: Karolina
Date Deposited: 14 Dec 2022 10:55
Last Modified: 14 Dec 2022 14:28
URI: http://idiprints.knjiznica.idi.hr/id/eprint/1058

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