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How South Korea's Media Covered the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Headlines like this might make the difference in the fight against Coronavirus

South Korea has managed to deal with the CoVid-19 pandemic extraordinary well. With rigorous testing, quarantines, etc, the country reports on average 30 new cases a day now. The "flattening of
the curve" or reduction of new cases is essential to ease the burden on health care providers and
improve the mortality rate. The following data taken from South Korea shows this "flattening" within
the nation, with just 30 new cases a day being reported as of recent days.

This plays into stark contrast with how the pandemic has spread across the United States over the past few months. The graph below displays the United States' daily new cases, hovering around 30,000 as of April 15th.

While the unique actions and policies of the US and South Korean governments had much to do with the vastly different outcomes seen today, the press coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic within the respective nations also differed.

After browsing the websites for local news stations in Omaha, Nebraska, it was evident that many of the CoVid-19 related articles pushed to the front page were sourced from national sources, such as this report actually from CNN. This push for national content removed some of the authenticity in the reporting that local news often can provide for the public. The local reporters of the station tended to focus on publishing articles more resembling logistical reports, detailing the daily case count and any local government announcements.

When observing local news sources for the city of Busan in South Korea, there was an immediate tonal difference in the top headlines.

These articles are both featured prominently on the front page of a Busan news source

These eye-catching headlines were the norm across local South Korean news stations. The approach of publicly detailing the arrests of those that broke quarantine restrictions adds a unique dynamic. These quarantine laws work two-fold: first by imposing self-isolation, and then by discouraging potential rule-breakers through the press's constant reporting of the consequences. Obviously more comparative research of media sources must be done across the two countries, but this personal, almost reproachful tone in reporting community cases of Coronavirus in South Korea could be an interesting subject to delve into. These smaller, in-depth articles contrast against the broader, national scope Coronavirus coverage often found from affiliate news stations. The"shameful" angle on rule-breaking mixed with the personal feeling of attachment to the local community creates an impactful story. Perhaps this last article best summarizes the approach taken by the local South Korean press.




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