How the coronavirus infected editorial cartoons: A comparative study of covid-19 cartoons in Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom

Joubert, Marina; Milani, Elena; Reidlinger, Michelle; Weitkamp, Emma

Abstract

Based on earlier findings that editorial cartoons contribute significantly to the public discourse during a health crisis, we compared cartoons with Covid-19 content across three countries (Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom), published in six prominent weekend papers (two per country) over an 18-month period from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2021. Of the 465 cartoons printed in these newspapers during this time period, 226 contained Covid-19 references and were analysed further. Our findings reveal notable differences in the dominance and timing of Covid-19 cartoons across the three countries which relate to the different trajectories of the pandemic. However, across all three countries, we found a strong political slant in the visual and textual content of these cartoons, as well as highly critical commentary on the way political leaders were handling the pandemic. The economic and societal impacts of the pandemic were also prominent themes. Despite the fact that these cartoons were about a health pandemic, we found that politicians and political commentary dominated, with science communication content (for example representations of scientists or educational health messages) featuring rarely. In the few cases where science and scientists featured, they were represented as scapegoats that politicians could use to justify unpopular decisions. As such, these cartoons did not contribute to helping society to make sense of the pandemic. We therefore conclude that editorial cartoons during Covid-19 were highly politicised, and that they must be interpreted within their political and national contexts.

• Online Publication Date: Apr 1, 2023
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Aug 11, 2022
• Book Title: Science Communication: Taking a step back to move forward
• ISBN: 9782271148391
• Keywords: Covid-19, editorial cartoons, mass media
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9708084
• Publisher URL: https://www.cnrseditions.fr/catalogue/sciences-politiques-et-sociologie/science-communication-taking-a-step-back-to-move-forward/
• Additional Information: Publication due Autumnn 2022; ; Book editors: Martin Bauer and Bernard Schiele
• Contract Date: Jun 22, 2022