Portuguese News Portrayal of the National Health Service (NHS) through the First Wave of COVID-19: A Textual Analysis Público
Forsyth, Alyssa (Spring 2021)
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, has swept the world with fear. Global chaos and uncertainty substitute for normality. During this time, the media has influenced the human response tremendously, with the news deemed as a reliable source for gauging its severity and perceived threat. In this thesis, I compare articles published by four different Portuguese news sources across the political spectrum, Público, Observador, Correio da Manhã, and Diário de Notícias, based on their discussion of the Portuguese National Health Service (NHS) initiatives during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to gauge the perceived success of its response. Although the political distinctions of left and right might not be as polarized in Portugal as in other countries, there are evident differences in the discussion of the NHS among speculated left- and right-leaning news sources, which have been emphasized even more dramatically during the pandemic. Considering the political leanings of the news sources, it is expected that they will interpret the response of the health care system in contrastable manners. I will analyze the selected Portuguese news articles for the language, tone, and content utilized in their reaction to the response of the Portuguese NHS during the first wave of COVID-19, from mid-March to early May. This analysis will highlight the selective nature of the media by evaluating which information news sources choose to include and exclude. Through this selectivity, some biases can be unpacked, which is important to achieving news literacy.
Writing this paper contemporaneously provides insight that can only be gained at the time of the event and that is not tainted by knowledge of the outcomes, such as the long-term changes to the NHS. The evaluations and comparisons conducted in this research are the result of extensive reviews of various articles published on the websites of the four news sources. The goal of this thesis is to compare articles covering the same topics across news sources by analyzing word-choice, tone, and content to identify differences in their approaches, ultimately establishing the importance of news literacy in the modern world.
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1
Methodology………………………………………………………………………………3
Scope and Validity of My Research Goals……………………………………….…….....5
Advantages and Limitations of Discussing a Contemporary Event…………………....…7
Chapter I: The COVID-19 Pandemic, the Portuguese NHS, and the Role of the News………...10
COVID-19 Overview…………………………………………………………………….11
Pathogenesis……………………………………………………………………...12
Symptomology…………………………………………………………………...13
Transmission and Prevention…………………………………………………….14
Prevalence and Mortality………………………………………………………...16
Societal Effects…………………………………………………………………..17
COVID-19 and Health Care Systems……………………………………………18
First Wave of COVID-19 in Portugal……………………………………………………20
First Wave Definition……………………………………………………………20
Portugal’s Response in the First Wave…………………………………………..22
Description of the Portuguese National Health Service (NHS)………………………….23
History………………………………………………………………………...….24
Structure……………...…………………………………………………………..25
NHS 24 (SNS 24) Line…………………………………………………………..28
Quality…………………………………………………………………………...28
Economics……………………………………………………………………….30
Politics…………………………………………………………………………...31
Relationship with the Private Sector…………………………………………….33
Immigrant Health Care………………………………………………………......34
Political Spectrum in Portugal……………………………………………………….......35
Basic Political Structure…………………………………………………………35
Parties……………………………………………………………………………37
Polarization………………………………………………………………………38
News Sources Selected for Research…………………………………………………….40
Political Orientations…………………………………………………….………41
Popularity and Circulation……………………………………………………….42
Agência Lusa……………………………………………………………….……42
Journalism Ethics…………………………………………………………….…..43
Concluding Remarks……………………………………………………………………..44
Chapter II: Comparison of the Portrayal of the Portuguese NHS across Portuguese News Sources…………………………………………………………………………………….……..46
Methodology Review………………………………………………………….…47
NHS Support Score Ranking System……………………………………………51
Portuguese News Portrayal of the NHS During the First Wave of COVID-19...…..…...52
Reactions to the Involvement of the Private Sector…………………………......52
Private Hospitals Accept COVID-19 Patients from the NHS: Necessary or Complementary?.......................................................................................53
Response to State Coverage of Private Hospital Costs if Referred by the NHS…………………………………………………………………...…57
Different Perspectives on the PS Interview with the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, about the NHS Turning to the Private Sector………...…59
Variable Description of Test, Equipment, and Resource Availability in NHS Hospitals…………………………………………………………………………63
Equipment: Absent or Rationed?...............................................................64
Access to COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests: Does Portugal Have Enough?....69
Positioning of the Appeal to Gain More Physicians in the NHS……...…72
Recognition of Immigrant Health Care Access………………………………….75
Health Benefits to Immigrants with Pending SEF Requests: Language and Attitudes Toward the Right to Health Care………………………...……77
Coverage of the Council of Europe Recognition of Portugal for Immigrant Regularization……………………………………………………………80
Success of the NHS 24 Line…………………………………………………..…82
Number of Calls Answered: Acknowledging the Line’s Successful Adaptation or Dwelling on the Faults of the Past?....................................82
Descriptions of Experience with the NHS 24 (SNS 24)……………....…84
Turn to Other Means for Care After Trouble with NHS 24 (SNS 24)…..87
Results………………………………………………………………………………...….90
News Portrayal of the NHS Through the First Wave: Success or Failure?.......................92
Concluding Remarks…...…………………………………………………………...……93
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….…95
Scope………………………………………………………………………………….…98
Response to Personal Biases………………………………………………….…98
Selection of Four News Sources………………………………………...………98
Arrangement of News Sources on the Political Spectrum………………....……98
Implications…………………………………………………………………………...…99
Future Directions…………………………………………………………………….…100
Opinion Articles………………………………………………………………...100
News Response to State of Emergency…………………………………….…..100
Other Measurements of NHS Support…………………………………….....…101
Table and Figures………………………………………………………………………...….….102
Works Cited.……………………………………………………………………………..……..106
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