Noticias y vacunas Covid-19 en Argentina. Un análisis de modelación temática

Abstract

The analysis of media coverage presents itself as a central element for understanding the development of the Covid-19 pandemic, as it provides key insights into its dynamics and management. In this context, media agendas have been shaped by emerging knowledge about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the measures implemented by governments, the positions of international health institutions, and technoscientific advancements aimed at controlling the virus’s spread and reducing mortality. From the outset, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified vaccines as a central component of strategies to overcome the crisis. This raises questions such as: What were the predominant themes in media coverage of Covid-19 vaccines? Did the topics and framings change as the pandemic progressed? And what model of science communication prevailed over time? This study analyzes news content from the Argentine newspapers Clarín and La Nación published between January 30, 2020, and December 24, 2021. It applies the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling technique and, following a comparative content analysis, identifies a six-topic model: the description of the pandemic at the national level, the international context of the pandemic, coverage of cases in minors, the pandemic’s progression in the provinces, vaccination and vaccines, and the consequences of vaccination. The results help identify the predominant topics from the onset of the pandemic through the arrival of vaccines, revealing a communication approach grounded in medical and educational models, centered on the dissemination of expert-driven information intended to guide public behavior.