Why is All Covid-19 News Bad News?
We analyze the tone of COVID-19 related English-language news articles written since January 1,2020. Ninety one percent of stories by U.S. major media outlets are negative in tone versus fifty fourpercent for non-U.S. major sources and sixty five percent for scientific journals. The negativity ofthe U.S. major media is notable even in areas with positive scientific developments including schoolre-openings and vaccine trials. Media negativity is unresponsive to changing trends in new COVID-19cases or the political leanings of the audience. U.S. major media readers strongly prefer negative storiesabout COVID-19, and negative stories in general. Stories of increasing COVID-19 cases outnumberstories of decreasing cases by a factor of 5.5 even during periods when new cases are declining. AmongU.S. major media outlets, stories discussing President Donald Trump and hydroxychloroquine aremore numerous than all stories combined that cover companies and individual researchers workingon COVID-19 vaccines.
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