J Health Polit Policy Law The Emergence of COVID-19 in the U.S.: A Public Health and Political Communication Crisis

[tetano]

J Health Polit Policy Law


. 2020 May 28;8641506.
doi: 10.1215/03616878-8641506. Online ahead of print.
The Emergence of COVID-19 in the U.S.: A Public Health and Political Communication Crisis


Sarah E Gollust ¹ , Rebekah H Nagler ¹ , Erika Franklin Fowler ²



Affiliations

• PMID: 32464658
• DOI: 10.1215/03616878-8641506

Abstract

The coronavirus public health crisis is also a political-communication and health-communication crisis. In this commentary, we describe the key communication-related phenomena and evidence of concerning effects manifested in the U.S. during the initial response to the pandemic. We outline the conditions of communication about coronavirus that contribute toward deleterious outcomes, including partisan cueing, conflicting science, downplayed threats, emotional arousal, fragmented media, and Trump's messaging. We suggest these have contributed toward divergent responses by media sources, partisan leaders, and the public alike, leading to different attitudes and beliefs as well as varying protective actions taken by members of the public to reduce their risk. In turn, these divergent communication phenomena will likely amplify geographic variation in and inequities in COVID-19 disease outcomes. We conclude with some suggestions for future research, particularly surrounding communication about health inequity and strategies for reducing partisan divergence in views of public health issues in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19; Politics; communication; media; public opinion.