How Television Reported COVID–19

Looking at the Correlation between Television and Social Media [Part I] Summarizing the 200 Days of Reports and Posts through Data

Abstract

The year 2020 has turned out to be a special year where people around the world are forced to go through an unprecedented experience by an unknown virus called COVID–19. As the infection spread, the Japanese government declared a nationwide state of emergency in April, elementary, junior–high, and high school were closed temporary, and citizens were requested to refrain from going out or traveling; people's lives have been changed drastically. Meanwhile, broadcasters have been putting their energies to delivering stories related to COVID–19 though they had to fight with restrictions on reporting and program making. While television and other traditional media were faced with difficulties in reporting, there were a great number of social media posts by those infected with the virus and relevant parties, and these messages were also featured on television, showing a correlation between television and social media. Watching the development, the authors examined how television reported COVID–19, as it partially used social media, during the period from mid–January to the end of July. Looking into informational programs, infotainment shows, and anchored news programs aired from daytime through nighttime, it is revealed that many of these programs spared much time for stories concerning COCID–19 and that most of them increased ratings. Among those stories, news related to “PCR tests,” “masks,” and “self–restraint” were constantly reported. Besides, television covered a certain amount of information from social media, especially that on Twitter. At the same time, we can see a number of cases where Twitter users actively reacted to TV coverage, which resulted in a considerable number of tweets. Thus, television and social media occasionally interacted with each other, which sometimes had an impact on the real world.