A Framing Analysis and Regional Comparison of Newspaper Media Reports of COVID-19 in Shanghai: Based on the LDA Topic Model

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed reports published by local and non-local newspapers on the 2022 COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling technique. Framing Theory suggests that both coverage types would typically produce similar media frames, notwithstanding the presence of slight differences in bias. We identified the media frames used by local and non-local newspapers on the Shanghai outbreak and our analysis subsequently informed our discussion on the similarities and differences that were uncovered. The paper offers suggestions for media reporting on how to better cover the outbreak.