Designing a Conceptual Model of the Journalistic Approach of Arab Newspapers in Covering Health News
Keywords:
health journalism, Arab newspapers, COVID-19, media representation, conceptual modelAbstract
The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, as one of the most significant public health crises of the present century, placed the media at the forefront of information dissemination, public opinion guidance, and crisis management. Considering the importance of the role of the media in representing health crises, the present study aimed to analyze the journalistic approach of Arab newspapers in covering health and hygiene news related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to design a conceptual model in this field. This study employed a qualitative approach using thematic analysis. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 experts in the fields of media, health communication, and journalism in Iraq. The process of open, axial, and selective coding was conducted using MAXQDA software. The findings led to the extraction of a conceptual model consisting of four main dimensions: "discursive approach," "news coverage style," "type of sources used," and "journalistic objectives," each of which included specific components and indicators. Based on thematic analysis, the media’s approach was largely centered on reinforcing official narratives, reducing the role of civil society, and focusing on authoritarian policies in the representation of the crisis. By presenting a conceptual model, this study provides a framework for systematically understanding the journalistic behavior of Arab media during health crises and can serve as a theoretical basis for critical analysis of health communication in similar contexts.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Qahtan Adnan Hashim, Ali Jafari, Haider Falh Zayed, Narges Atrian (Author)
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