Abstract

The paper analysis the course of actions that how media depicts news about COVID-19. This part of the study also investigate the blame put by the public on the media regarding Coronavirus. Theoretically, this study examines how media represents the pandemic of Coronavirus; such as selling books through Amazon, spreading and exaggerating misinformation and comparison of the Coronavirus with other past diseases and movies. For analysis, through random selection data of Blogs has been taken with specific time and space to reach the conclusion. The study found, that media present and propagate the damaging aspect of an issue, as the framing within the study of the blogs was more on the negative frames than the positive aspect regarding the Coronavirus pandemic. This research concludes that the blogs framed the pandemic of the Coronavirus more on panic and fear creation.

Key Words

Covid-19, Social Media, Blogs, Pandemic, Representation

Introduction

Iakov said that information is an effective tool in the present world. The fastest, quickest, and most effective tool for the transfer of information is the media among the world. The different sites of the internet, that communicate information, play a vital role in the transfer of news. Social media has become a supporter for allowing everyone to have an internet connection to let them become a creator for their content that may be of any type. Therefore the power within social media is not just the change in the message but the change in the dynamics of political, social, religious and cultural corruption, values, and the conflict in them. Thus our social fabric, our norms, our social life, global conflict, and election processes everything have become the site of media. It can be said that the advancement of media has affected the structure of the domestic as well as international system.

Neale discusses that the influence of media is on almost everyone nowadays. Media has the power to persuade, manipulate, influence and pressurize society. Newspapers and blogs have their websites, which can get a quicker response than printed ones and can be updated more regularly. Bloggers and news writers have affected society badly by creating panic over the pandemic.




Significance of the Researc

This research has a lot of importance in the

present situation of the world. The circumstances created by media are very crucial to be acknowledged by every single person. Media has only presented the negative aspect of the pandemic of Coronavirus that has created panic and fear among the public. This fear has caused a lot of issues within humanity. Therefore this research can benefit the readers in knowing the negative side of the media, which creates panic among people. 




Rationale

Media has taken many faces and due to the technology evolution media has become the catalyst, which alters the environment where international actors interact. The reason behind this research is to bring awareness about the negative face of media where panic is created during the time of the Coronavirus pandemic. The research also gives a view to the readers about how the media presented the blames of countries made by one another taking the benefit from the situation of the pandemic. 




Objectives of the Research

The following are the main objectives of the research:

(1) To explore people's blame regarding Covid-19

(2) To examine the ways in which media depicts news about Covid-19




Research Questions

This research is guided by the following research question:

Q1: What blames are made by the media regarding Covid-19?

Q2: How does the media depict news about Covid-19?   




Critical Review of Related Literature

Media represented the pandemic of Coronavirus in many ways. But, mostly, the presentation was in the negative aspects of the situation. Many writers wrote about the blames, which were on the bases of the external and internal issues of the countries. The Coronavirus was also called the biological war or a biological weapon by different writers for their different personal purposes. 

Peter-coe says that media has been used as a vehicle for the spread of fake news and information, to such an extent that people find it difficult to separate facts from fiction. 

The statements of blog writers blamed and considered Coronavirus as a preplanned scenario because all the countries that were in friendship with one another blamed the country they opposed. These agendas were actually all based upon their external conflicts. It was in one way the competition for power between China and US. 




Theoretical Perspective

This research focuses on the analysis of blogs for to represent the blames regarding Covi-19 and how the media depicts news about Covid-19? For this purpose, Framing theory is taken under consideration which is closely relevant to the work under discussion. As a concept, the framing theory is widely used in the field of contemporary social sciences such as political, social, and cultural studies and in academia such as linguistics, communication, and media studies.

Methodology

The researcher used the method of 10-step propaganda analysis of Garth Jowett for the analysis and interpretation of data. The ten steps of propaganda analysis are the ideology and purpose, the context, identification, structure, the target audience, media utilization techniques, special techniques to maximize effect, audience reaction to various techniques, counter propaganda and effects, and evaluation. 




Delimitations

Due to the limited space and time, the researcher selected this study for the research over blogs. As per the selection of the blogs she selected random blogs which were in thematic relation to the topic under the study. These blogs contain information related to the research questions to fill the gaps in the literature reviewed so far.

Literature Review

Propaganda through Media for Coronavirus

Regarding the policies and misrepresented facts of the government structure, it is said that nowhere government or the media bring to face the realities of day- to- day happenings. Media claims that there have been two big blunders made by the government in delaying the news about Covid-19. When Dr Li told his fellow medical professionals about the virus in a chat group on the 30th of December 2019, his colleagues took this as a rumor and even called him "rumor-mongering"; (para1) the other delay was the lack of openness and transparency because of the annual gathering of the local community party-run legislature when propaganda department instructed not to cover negative stories (Gardner, 2020).




Fear and its Discursive Construction

Psychologist David DeSteno in an editorial for The New York Times argues about the fear that it is a “mix of miscalibrated emotion and limited knowledge” (Timsit, 2020).  The perspective of David is in a way very perfect which actually is true; we generally are always lack of accurate information or sufficient knowledge and get excited or messed up by just hearing rumors via social media or news etc (Timsit, 2020). 




Panic Creation through Media

From the situation it is very clear that the media's misinformation will definitely lead to further panic. A blog writer tells that the media is really trying to create panic by posting sentences such as:

“Coronavirus! It's coming for you, no one will be spared! It's everywhere; it may even be hiding in your basement” (Johnson, 2020).

In one way it is good to inform humans and alert them about the danger but that should be in a way that may not create panic. Focusing on the words where it says, it's coming and it is going to catch every one of them; these really frighten everyone and disturb their psyche. When a person gets to know that they have been diagnosed to cancer and are in the last stage, the first thing that comes to the patient's mind is that they will no longer be able to survive. This kind of mindset really do not let them live longer but if the patient is always told that he has a chance to live and he really can fight with it so for sure they start curing even from their serious condition. In this way without creating fear public could have been warned about the danger.

Doctors are of the view that the current virus will play out much like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic of 2003. Although the doctors believe that this strain is stronger than the earlier one and will affect more people. Posts are deliberately exaggerated by media to increase clicks, viewers, newspapers sale and advertising rates. Media once did not think of the hard-working poor public who will lose their jobs soon, as that is the only way to provide for themselves and their families. They did not think about the cost others have to pay for it, due to their misleading and cheap way of earning some personal benefits (Mackinnon, 2020). 




Misrepresentation of Facts in Media

According to FactCheck.org which is one of the several organizations that are working for Facebook to discredit misrepresentation of information shared on social media. They provide several resources to the readers like; how to bring suspicious stories on Facebook a guide is provided, for false articles number of websites are given and to spot false stories many videos and stories are given.

Collaboratively social media posts that the virus known as COVID-19 has been peculiar and it already has a vaccine. This made the public curious and many misperceptions were made. Everyone got an idea that it might have been a preplanned biological war.




Political Warfare through Drug Economy

One of Syrian columnist Hussein Saqer writes that the U.S. has changed biological warfare into a new type of war, by which they intend to change the rules of war.    

The post writers of the guardian states (on March 24, 2020) that all this is not just a war against Coronavirus, but it is the war on drugs and the war on terror. As they write it in this way, “We are not at war with a virus. I don’t care how many politicians say it, from Xi Jinping’s “People’s war” to Donald Trump’s “our big war”, or how many pundits repeat it; we are not “at war” with the Coronavirus. I know that in deeply militarized countries like the US, the term “war” is now simply used to emphasize the importance of an issue – from the non-existent “war on Christmas” that conservatives talk about to the liberal “war on poverty”. But words have meanings and often real consequences, as we are still seeing in the “war on drugs” and “war on terror” (Mudde, 2020). 

“The novel coronavirus in China highlights severe, longstanding, and unresolved vulnerabilities in our capacity to produce lifesaving pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices for our own citizens” (Gerald, 2020). It is very obvious, due to such a large number of patients they will be in need of a large number of medicines that can at least let them survive if not wholly recover them. Media by posting such posts conveys a message to people about the longstanding of the virus and the low number of medicines. This creates fear and horror in them. As we know in a war, the liberal democratic order is temporarily suspended and some extraordinary measures are taken that extend state powers and limit public rights (Gerald, 2020). 

Well, the Egyptians has the same view about Americans, Ahmad Rifat an Egyptian journalist explains the reason why America chose China's city Wuhan instead of the other cities that are much richer then Wuhan. Ahmad says that Americans are always the first to create any kind of virus as disused by Sa'ud. Wuhan is the city, that is struck by Coronavirus at the present situation, that is an industrial town, but its wealth comes on number eight in china after other cities those major cities are Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Tianjin and Hong Kong. Whereas Wuhan comes at the bottom of the list but still was targeted, being at bottom of the list makes it suitable for a crime for an American or anyone because it is not the focus of attention. When a city is at the bottom of a list in wealth, so that surely will have lower healthcare and will really have to face problems. 

A Jordanian journalist of Palestinian, Al-Zouni, wrote on the Palestinian website that the increase in the number of cases in Italy is also revenge by the U.S. for that they have signed an agreement with China and created a great understanding with them.  




Biological Warfare for Economic Degeneration

Senator Rehman Malik (on February 01, 2020) in his article talks about the Coronavirus as a biological weapon use for economic degeneration. He brings a movie in front based on the theme of a virus that named Contagion, an American movie released in 2011 which shows a rapid outbreak of a lethal airborne virus that is transmitted to each other and can kill in a few days. The virus does not spread faster as compared to its panic that spreads worldwide. 

Rehman Malik (2020) presents a reason for, why the city of Wuhan was targeted, Wuhan is basically a modern railway junction that connects all major cities of china and therefore it has larger public anytime. This country was targeted because it has the fastest-growing economy worldwide. This will surely cripple the lives of the common public, which will raise fear and panic worldwide, and all government functions will be paralyzed. Spreading such information as explained, with some different evidence, media is really creating a problem that is affecting the public psychologically. 




Theoretical Perspective

Media is one of the most important and effective tools all over the world for the purpose of transferring information. Media's effectiveness may have a positive or negative impact over the public, depending on the creativity of the information. This research refers to the representation of media over the pandemic and how media depicts information through news etc regarding the pandemic of Covid-19. This research has been supported by the framing theory.




Framing Theory

Erving Goffman (1974) elaborates his theory which is the framing theory. He explains the way in which we create frameworks for the beliefs that do not necessarily line up with the full picture. The framing theory is a potential explanation as to why we focus our attention on some parts of a given reality and not on others (Exploring your mind). It also identifies why actually most of people see reality from one side but not the other. Goffman states that people go through the primary framing work for understanding. These primary frameworks has two distinctions those are; natural and social. Both of them helps in interpreting data and both of them are different on the bases of functions.  

Every newspaper and different information sites presents issues regarding an event, all of them present a single view with different angles and different perspectives to attract their audience. Some of them may make a person as a hero and some may make them as an ignorant and uninformed former politician or a common man, all of it depends on the frame that views it because all of the outlets of media frame the issue differently. Entman (1993) says that this difference is because of silence. Silence is basically creating the information more noticeable and memorable to the people (audience). The audience will be able to perceive information with more enhancements if there is an increase in the silence.

The above discussion on framing theory closely relates to this research question and findings. The blogs under this research analysis come under the framing theory, as Entman said that media represents things in the way they want to. They present the things they want to make an emphasis on, to the audience. The researcher agrees with his statement as the blogs too tried to make an emphasis on certain areas where regarding the blames on different countries and the creation of panic. Entman also said that media only presents the area according to their views and for this they use the framing strategy. Due to this only part of the information regarding an issue or event comes into prominence. In the same way the blogs under the analysis of this research, the bloggers only made things related to war into prominence which created fear and panic over the public. This is why almost everyone sees things in one direction and does not focus on the other direction due the framing over the work. This framing is made in such a way that the audience directly goes in the way the writer desired. The framing of the blogs really made the public into panic over the news of biological war which is a big threat to humanity. The news that is depicted by the writers over the issue of coronavirus that created fear over the audience is clearly done through the framing of the news.

Research Methodology

Data

For the analysis of blogs for ‘Media Representation of Pandemic’, the researcher has worked on specific blogs regarding coronavirus from the year 2020. The blogs under analysis are: 

(1) ‘People are selling books on Amazon claiming Satan and biological warfare caused the coronavirus. Amazon says it's giving customers a variety of viewpoints’.

(2) ‘Coronavirus is a breeding ground for conspiracy theories’.

(3) ‘Russian Media Outlets are blaming the Coronavirus on the United States’.




Data Collection

As due to the pandemic situation throughout the world, it was difficult to work on questionnaires and interviews to do field research, therefore, the researcher chose to work through websites and internet resources in the form of blogs which were easy, convenient, and readily available for her. After skimming through different blogs, she got the thematic meaning from the chosen blogs. She collected data from articles, blogs, books, and news sites.




Primary Data and Secondary Data

The primary data is in the form of blogs as mentioned in the data section, while the secondary data is connected to different websites on the internet, presenting other blogs on the issue.




Research Methodology

This research is based upon the ten-step procedure of Garth S. Jowett which is explained below.




Method of Analysis

Propaganda is the spreading of ideas, information or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause or a person. (Merriam-Webster)

As making a detailed examination of anything complex and bringing it to separate parts in order to comprehend or grasp the meaning of its nature or to determine the immanent features, is known as analysis which can be performed in many ways, therefore to analyze propaganda there is a ten (10) step procedure by Garth S. Jowett, 2012.

The ten step procedure has four (4) basic requirements:

(1) Historical research 

(2) Examination of propaganda

(3) Sensitivity to audience responses

(4) Critical scrutiny of the entire propaganda process

Propaganda focuses more on the analysis of long term effects rather on short-term analysis, for a perfect understanding. It includes the reinforcement of cultural myths and conceptions which are so entrenched in the culture that recognizing a message as propaganda is very difficult. 

The ten steps of propaganda analysis are the ideology and purpose of the propaganda campaign: the ideology prepared for the propaganda must have the idea, attitude, and values of the society and also dictates side by side what is desirable and what should be done. The ideology and purpose of propaganda can be used in places where it can provide a comprehensive conceptual framework for the audience to cope with all the political and social problems 2) the context in which propaganda occurs: an analyst may go through the context and tally it with the cultural, religious, economic, political and all other life related myths to seek a way towards analysis of propaganda 3) identification of the propagandist: If the source is known and identity has openness then it is easy for analyst to reach to propaganda but if the identity is concealed then the task is quite difficult 4) the structure of the propaganda organization: the analyst will find an access to the source that meets the organization for obtaining necessary data 5) the target audience: audience are selected so that others automatically follow them in propaganda one can take the professionals for opinion like doctors, celebrities, research professionals etc 6) media utilization techniques: media in the modern time for propaganda uses almost all the available sources which are: radio, television, movies, books, sports, cultural event, street names etc 7) special technique to maximize effect: creating resonances, source credibility, opinion leaders, face-to-face contact, group norms, reward and punishment, monopoly of the communication source, visual symbols of power, language usage, music as propaganda and arousal of emotions 8) audience reaction to various techniques: analysts most importantly have to look for the target audience behavior 9) counterpropaganda: analyst should determine whether the public is clear about counterpropaganda which exists to oppose propaganda 10) effects and evaluation: propagandas important factor is its effectiveness, whether it has fulfilled its purpose or not, whereas evaluation is the effective outcome of the goals.

Data Analysis

Data Analysis and Interpretation

The blogs selected by the researcher are discussed in this part. For the analysis of the blogs the researcher has applied the ten step procedure of propaganda which are applied and discussed as below.




Blog # 1

Pietsch, the B. writer of Yahoo News, gives a headline where the writer is blaming Amazon. As books are sold through Amazon, which indicates symbolically that Coronavirus is caused by Biological Warfare and Satan. The titles of the books presented in the blog are ‘Jesus vs. Satan: The origins of Coronavirus’ and ‘Military virus Apocalypse: Biological Warfare’ and ‘Bio Weapon and China Coronavirus Pandemic’ (Pietsch, 2020). Actually, the writer himself had created panic over the public by introducing the books and specifying them by their titles, but he has blamed Amazon for selling such books. 




Ideology

The communication process in society runs through public opinion. As the blogger Pietsch writes that some people are selling books to get money, they are cashing the Coronavirus outbreak. Society and its public are misinformed through these books. The ideology of the writer is to know the concept of society and their collective set of beliefs. For the sake of finding a collective idea of society, the writer has alarmed the public by his views presented in the blog about the book and its horrible titles, which caused panic and fear. 




Context

The blogger Wong writes about biological warfare in his blog that has a background from the past of the pandemic. The relationship of the US and China was in great tussle as stated in BBC and NY Times. As Bisley said in his blog the US and China were the countries who were already in tussle but the outbreak of the Coronavirus have acted as fuel to the fire between them. While Wong has given the same idea as Bisley, but in a different way, he said that U.S and China are both in new eras of power which are in competition but the amazing fact is that they are without boundaries (Wong, 2019).

The writer Pietsch, B. in his blog puts a view of Biological warfare by stating it as the information gathered from books. He blames books for the information about Biological warfare which has created severe panic over the public. The books are being blamed for the panic of the Coronavirus (Research Question 1). Later in his blog, he says that no evidence has revealed books' information as truth, which has puzzled the public weather to believe in books or not. The past evidences and book references stated by the writer directly click the idea of biological warfare, which is the aim of the writer to make it a collective thinking of the public. In a sense, this blog can be said a myth, which has an embodied meaning of the event presented in the blog as the sale of books through Amazon but it is the idea to which the public already had subscribed. Therefore, it is a predisposition to act. 







Structure 

The writer Wong uses a structure where he makes goals and then objectives. His goal is to stop people from reading books which are misleading them with the information about Coronavirus to blame Amazon and lowering down its value. But he also aims to create panic in the public so that they may respond. The writer wants to know the collective point of view of the public over the situation created by the Coronavirus and the panic caused by the books. 




Target Audience 

Internet lists can be acquired with public responses to media appeals. When people buy books they get a similar recommendation for other books. The writer blames Amazon for providing and recommending similar books for Coronavirus (Research Question 1). These books are further misleading and create panic over the public. Therefore, the writer Pietsch is also trying to target the audience; attention towards the sale of books and its impact on the society




Media Utilization Technique

Modern writers or bloggers use almost all the media sources available. There is an emphasis on the titles of the books and the word “Biological Warfare” Pietsch, (Research Question 2). This tries to convert public attention towards the internal meaning of the blog so that everyone may get a view about the books and its information which will, if not fully but at least to some extent, set a view of war into the society. 

An Amazon spokesperson said that:

"The company is simply providing customers with access with a variety of viewpoints" (Pietsch, 2020). 

He also said that:

“The content guidelines for books which only prohibit pornography or other inappropriate content” (Pietsch, 2020).

In both of the statements presented by the blogger it is very clear that Amazon Company will never stop the sale of books even if it is harmful for the readers. It also shows that the Amazon Company does not feel bad for providing such information because he considers it as appropriate and not prohibited work. This gives an overt purpose of the writer, who is blaming Amazon for the sale of its books and panic creation. 

The audience reacted by presenting their blogs on the internet such as the Dailymail says:

“Dean Koontz Thriller Eyes Darkness” (Griffith, 2020). 

 This blog from Dailymail is completely the reflection of the blog under discussion making the Coronavirus as the exact reality that is presented in novel years ago (Research Question 1). The book by Griffith is being targeted for the direction of information towards biological warfare. The public is getting exposed to many other books which they may not know which is providing certain knowledge and information which is increasing their panic and fear.




Effects and Evaluation

The blog under discussion is propaganda developed by the writer in many ways. When the writer said about the books selling on Amazon, he was trying to blame Amazon for the spread of misinformation (Research Question 1). The writer tries to overcome the earnings of Amazon Company. Therefore, the Amazon Company in the same blog states that these books do not have information that is prohibited by the content guideline for the books. This statement of Amazon gives way to the propagandist who very tactfully uses it because he tries to create propaganda for the purpose to gain an idea from the society. After studying the blog, the audience will surely read those books because the writer gave a view towards the books and their information and then to get aside from the blame he pointed out the sites that have reported the virus as biological warfare (as before the pandemic US and China have worst relation as said in BBC News (Bisley, 2020). This makes the public consciousness about the virus and it gets assured that the blog was propaganda.  




Blog # 2

Ideology

The writer Jolly and Lamberty present a view to the public which says that the purpose of conspiracy theories is that Coronavirus is a bio-weapon.

“One conspiracy theory proposed that the coronavirus is actually a bio-weapon engineered by the CIA as a way to wage war on China. Others are convinced that the UK and U.S governments introduced the coronavirus as a way to make money from a potential vaccine. Some people even suggest that Bill Gates is sponsoring the coronavirus” (Jolly, 2020). 

In these lines, the writer put blames over others. He tries to show the power of the pandemic by stating the names of developed countries that are quite powerful and also the elite classes such as Bill Gates who may be involved in the cause of Coronavirus as a bio weapon. As war is a very terrible word and then the word bio weapon adds more to public fear.   

The writer Jolly and Lamberty by writing the word “Bio-weapon” (para 2) give idea to the public that the novel virus may have been a pre-planned process. The writer also gives it the name of war and a bio weapon which is quite terrible (Research Question 2).




Context

The writer Jolly and Lamberty use background knowledge as they mention about the HIV disease, which was believed by 16% of respondents from Spain that it was created and then spread around the world. Whereas, French 27%, while British 12% said that:

"The truth about the harmful effects of the vaccine is being deliberately hidden from the public" (Jolly, 2020). 

These are the points that the writer collects to consider virus as bio-weapon around the world. Not only HIV but many more like the Zika virus of 2015-16. He tries to compare different past situation and theories to the present situation of Coronavirus simply to give an idea to the public (Jolly, 2020). This again brings the feeling of the past which was severe; in the same way coronavirus is also presented very scary and a point of the biological war as the Zika virus that once again the same terror and panic could be created (Research Questions 1& 2).







Identification of the Writer

The writers Jolly and Lamberty present their blog in such a manner that all their views are related to the evidences provided by others. This made the public suspicious for who is to be blamed for the panic creation. 




Structure

Jolly and Lamberty throughout their blog give a single point of view for coronavirus as being a bio-weapon. They relate it with HIV and then with the Zika virus. In this way the writer tried to be loyal to the public and also give evidences to support their views. 

Such support and loyalty of the writer identifies his goals. Their goal is to make the public aware of the Coronavirus as a bio-weapon but also provide them evidences from past situations to prove their statements for the Coronavirus as a bio weapon and to make the public speak for the right of their lives (Research Question 2). 




Targeted Audiences

The writer Jolly and Lamberty stated very directly that the CIA engineered the bio-weapon that is Coronavirus, to wage the war on China. The statement is to target the CIA as its audience for to have a certain response from them. The writers added many countries to their blog, such as French, Spain, British, China, UK and US. All of them are being targeted by the writers and the public will get a single point of view from all the targeted areas with evidences from past related incidents which may cause them fear of their lives.

The best way to put your idea into the public's point of view is to make them listen, as a very common saying is that:

“Man is like a rabbit you can catch him by the ears  (Jowett, 2022)”.

The writer used internet that is present almost everywhere. He said about different countries and their purpose of creating the virus. They also said about the World Health Organization (WHO); they have created a separate page “myth busters” (Jolly, 2020). Para 4) to tackle fake news and conspiracy all over the world. These well-established statements of the writers function as media utilization for news (Jolly, 2020). 




Arousal of Emotion

The writers Jolly and Lamberty have used emotional language showing sympathy with society by comparing it with terrorist attack, rapid political and economic changes or economic crises. 

Society always has a feeling for human being and their health; they cannot bear harm for another person. This sympathy touches the emotions of humans which can make society fearful and raise their emotions for themselves and one another (Research Question 2).




Audience Reaction

One of the article Malik, suggests that the blame on the US for introducing the Coronavirus is very true. For supporting his statement he gives the evidence of an American Movie released in 2011 named ‘Contagion’. He says that this movie has a flashback at the end which gives a resemblance to the current situation of the Coronavirus. He says that in the movie virus is named as "Nipah Virus" which causes inflammation to the brain and respiratory diseases. The writer says the symptoms and causes described in the movie are exactly the same as those happening in the situation of coronavirus. This gives the public the view of their lives to an end as predicted in the movie. Every person will feel themselves as having the last days of their life as they watched in the movie because the writer has made the present Coronavirus compared with the movie and considered this movie exactly the same as the Coronavirus situation. The public gets into view that this might have been planned by any country; which increases their fear (Malik, 2020). 

Turner in his Letter says that China does not have the same respect for humanity that other people have (Research Question 1). The Chinese had a single-child policy for 35 years. That is why the current virus also may be originated in Wuhan Laboratory as a biological weapon for different reasons that can be to blame the US or to reduce its population or to gain higher status in the economy. This also creates panic over the public (Turner, 2020).




Effects and Evaluations

The writer Jolly and Lamberty in this blog use terms such as “Suggested”, “Some people says” and “Believer”. These terms show that the writer is not giving a clear-cut view but are trying to present their views with the reference of others. The blog of Jolly and Lamberty is propaganda that only wants to attract society attention toward the virus as a bio-weapon. 

The evaluation of the blog is quite effective. The propagandists Jolly and Lamberty (2020 achieve their goals to some extent by getting statements in other articles and letters that resemble to the blog under discussion. The use of the words and directly blaming the countries by the propagandists was quite effective to the audience. 




Blog # 3

Ideology

A blog by Turner is presenting that how people made Coronavirus as a cause of a preplanned process (Research Question 2). 

He says,

"When the coronavirus broke out of China to grab global attention, internet trolls, and grafters began peddling a conspiracy about how the virus was actually created as a bio-weapon” (Turner, 2020). 

The writer Turner presents an ideology in these lines which states that the internet has spread different conspiracy theories about the virus creation (Research Question 1). The writer wants public attention towards the virus which is not a bio weapon but naturally caused. He talks about the grafters, the one who obtain illicitly (unlawfully), who started selling their different theories. In the simplest way, the writer tries to say that the conspiracy theories were actually for the purpose of earning more money by selling them on the internet page (Turner, 2020). 




Context

The writer Turner, also present a context in his blog. He says that the opposite side of the description spread (katyusha.org) states that the military of China is claiming the virus as artificially produced in the Laboratories of the US with an aim to infringe China from the inside. The writer in the first line uses the word "alternate" Turner shows opposition to oppose the statements of other blogs which blame the US for the spread of Coronavirus as a preplanned process. The writer tries to convince the public that this biological war is not necessarily caused by the US  (Turner, 2020). 

Turner says about the katyusha.org that states that the Chinese Military is claiming that the virus was produced by the US, artificially.  The writer wants to show that the Chinese Military is actually claiming the virus as a US product, but no one else is trying to blame the US except the China. The writer tries to give a context to the blog that may make society think about the circumstances which present the US as the cause of the Coronavirus; whereas, in the writer’s point of view, those blogs are spreading disinformation. 




Target Audience

The writer Turner selected his audience by claiming an opposition to the blogs that blame the US as the promoter of Coronavirus. All the writings, letters, articles related to US blame for the virus, are actually the targeted audience by the writer. As the Chinese blog ‘China law blog’ which says that you should not blame China for the virus.  Harris in his blog gives all the information related to the misbehaviors of the US with China and other countries, for the only purpose is to claim that the US has been the cause of different problems and now the cause of coronavirus which can create terror into public (Harris, 2020).

The writer Turner also targets pro-kremlin military expert Igor Nikulin on TV2 vezda, Igor Nikulin tell that the virus looked like sabotage and that such kind of research was already performed in the US. These statements and words simply give a direction towards terror of the countries.




Creating Resonance

The writer Turner has created resonance by

presenting information which says that all the other sources have produced misinformation. This information presented by the writer had brought all the bloggers, conspiracy theorists, and article writers into consideration. This will lead all of them to respond in one way or other to justify their views (Turner, 2020).




Source Credibility

Turner mentioned that Face book, Twitter, and Youtube are being the clearest sites and played a great role as a source of information. He used names of famous analysts like, Kremlin, Eto Buziahvili, Katyusha Organization and Igor Nikulin. All of them have written a lot that has created panic for the public. They can attract the public and increase the blog credibility.




Language Used

The writer Turner used very harsh language in the blog. He called the outlets of Russia as propaganda because they have warped conspiracy theory and bent it to their own ends. In this way, for the katyusha.org, he termed that they are the alternate version of the narrative. He called it an alternate version to oppose it and prove them wrong. 




Audience Reaction

Journalists and bloggers can present a negative reaction towards the blog. As in one of the blog it says:  “Russian TV Runs Conspiracy Theory Blaming Trump for Coronavirus” (The Moscow Times, 2020). 

The writer of the Moscow Times states that this virus surely is caused by the US. He called Trump as a rival of China. He not only blames America but also targets Trump specifically which shows that he opposes the idea of the blog under discussion for analysis. 

In Gospa news the writer Carisio says that the coronavirus is a bio-weapon because he says that even an American biologist says that this is a chemical weapon (Carisio., 2020). 




Effects and Evaluation

Turner only provided the things said by others and then compared it with the past incidence which actually did not have accurate bases.  He somehow succeeded in his propaganda by creating panic over the public, but if he would have only described the present situation of the Coronavirus without comparison so he would have succeeded in his propaganda up to 100%. He added such context that resembled the present situation and gave a view of terror that panic the public by considering the virus as a war which actually may not be.

Conclusion

Media plays a vital role in the human life nowadays that is why to convey any kind of message to the public, one can easily use media as a medium. This research is also on the single aspect of media, that is, how media can create panic in a situation to look for the public's response. This is basically for the agencies and organizations that create propaganda for their personal benefits. 

News blogs are one of the sources of media. The researcher used news blogs for her study on Coronavirus which is newly emerged. The blogs actually have created panic over the public about the situation of Coronavirus.

Findings

The analysis shows that, most of the blogs have presented the horrible side of the pandemic of the Coronavirus which, as a result, has created panic and fear over society. The findings suggest that most of bloggers have created different strategies for the creation of panic. Some bloggers have compared it with past incidences of other viruses, while some compared it with movies released years ago. This brings up the feelings of the public and sympathy for humanity. These feelings cause them to fear for the loss of their dear ones.

Social Implication

When media makes an emphasis on something it actually tries to target the audience for a response. These responses of the audience are basically the needs of the organizations or agencies that created the news blogs as propaganda. To the present issue of Coronavirus, the blogs under study have created a panic over society. This panic was created in a very tactful manner because the media stated every piece of work with references of others' sayings and comparison with past incidences. After the analysis the researcher concluded that the media has created panic over the public for the issue of Coronavirus caused a negative impact on society.

References

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