The Politics of Communicating Health Risks: Framing the Coronavirus Pandemic in a Polarized Society

This study examines how political orientation shapes the communication of health risks during times of crises and uncertainty by analyzing news framing of COVID-19 in the French national press. Focusing on four newspapers representing distinct ideological leanings—Le Monde (center-left), Le Figaro (center-right), Libération (left), and Le Parisien (center)—it employs a quantitative content analysis of 748 hard news articles published during the first six months of the pandemic. Drawing on framing theory, the study identifies the prevalence and distribution of 12 health-related frames and compares their use across outlets. The findings show that coverage was dominated by the action frame, followed by social impact and alarmist/fear frames. Frames related to novel scientific evidence, contextualization, and attribution of responsibility appeared less frequently. Additionally, variations in frame use across the newspapers suggest that framing was politically patterned, with differences in how uncertainty was communicated. Center and center-right outlets primarily adopted stabilizing narratives that promoted trust and compliance to reduce uncertainty, whereas left-leaning outlets were more likely to foreground uncertainty in ways that highlighted scrutiny and accountability. The findings suggest that under conditions of risk and high uncertainty, political orientation not only shapes the selection of health-related frames but also how news media negotiate trade-offs in communicating health crises, with outlets prioritizing legitimacy, accountability, or emotional resonance in line with their ideological positioning.