COVID-19 in Portugal: A Pandemic Redesigned by the Media

Abstract

The news media in Portugal played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing people with important and up-to-date health information. However, the number of news reports did not always correspond to the severity of the pandemic. There was significant media attention at the beginning of the pandemic (in early 2020), but media coverage soon declined, and the Portuguese media began to report on a greater diversity of topics. The present study assessed the evolution of news reports in Portugal during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic by analysis of epidemiological data (cases, deaths, and hospitalizations) and television news lineups from the three major generalist television channels, RTP1, SIC, TVI. The study period was from March 2020 (when the first lockdown was instituted) to March 2021 (when there was the second gradual withdrawal of restrictions). Our results indicated that there was intense media coverage of COVID-19 during the first phase of the pandemic, even though epidemiological data showed there was not a severe health crisis at that time. However, the number of news stories about the pandemic soon declined, and this number was much lower during the worst period of the pandemic. Hence, the intensity of coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Portuguese media provided a distorted image of the actual pandemic. All things considered, we strongly advise for the inclusion of a communication plan that would help address future health emergency crisis. All things considered, we recommend that in future health crisis there is a planned communication strategy that takes into account media relations.