Manufacturing Government Communication on Covid-19: A Comparative Perspective

Other Books by Philippe J. Maarek (Since 2000)
Acknowledgements
Contents
Introduction: Similar and Dissimilar Patterns of Government Communication on COVID-19
1 Similar Patterns of Government Communication
1.1 Government Communication Behavior in General
War Rhetoric
The Initial Politics of the Ostrich
1.2 Calling on Experts for Help
1.3 A Common Stock of Communication Techniques
Day-to-Day Communication
Registering to Test or to Get the Vaccine Shot
Proving that you Got your Shots and Traveling
2 Some Indications about Government Communication Dissimilarities
2.1 The Consequences of Different Lockdown Choices on Government Communication
Countries with no Lockdown at all
Countries with an on-and-off Lockdown
Countries with Very Harsh Lockdowns
2.2 Compensating for Various Kinds of Cultural Differences
2.3 Playing Down (or Up) the COVID-19 Pandemic
3 Conclusion
Part I: Organizing Centralized Government Strategies
Pros and Cons of the EU Response and Communication during COVID-19 Crisis
1 Introduction
2 Winning Rather Minds than Hearts
3 Communication Efforts of the ``Last-Chance´´ Commission
4 The EU Response to the COVID-19 Crisis and Communication Challenges
5 Fighting Disinformation
6 EU Citizens´ Perceptions
7 Future of Europe
8 Conclusion
References
Fighting COVID-19 by National Mobilization: A Communicative Analysis of the Roles of the Chinese Government
1 Introduction
2 Multilevel Media Mobilization
3 Central Media: Master the Overall Layout
3.1 Make Use of all-Media Platforms to Ensure Information Openness and Transparency
3.2 Strengthen External Publicity and Present the Image of a Responsible Power
4 Provincial Media: Strengthen People´s Sense of Belonging
4.1 The Spirit of Mutual Aid Infects the Public
4.2 Implement Epidemic Prevention Policies
5 County and Municipal Media: Serve People´s Livelihood
6 Launch the Big Data System for Auxiliary Monitoring
6.1 Health Code: Digital Governance Medium
6.2 Mobile Data Positioning
7 Grassroots Governance
7.1 Cooperate with Superiors: Digital Management for a Matrix of Urban Communities
7.2 Grassroots Autonomy: Media-Free Management
8 Conclusion
References
Crisis Communication During the Pandemic: Latvia´s Case
1 Introduction
2 Crisis Communication: Conceptual Framework
3 The First Wave of the Pandemic: The Success Story
4 The Second Wave of the Pandemic: Unfinished Business and Unclear Messages
5 The Vaccination Saga: When Statistics No Longer Matter
6 Instead of a Conclusion: What Lessons Governments Should Learn
References
South Korea´s On-Going Battle with COVID-19: From Masks to Vaccinations
1 Introduction
2 Initial Phase: Early Recognition and Expeditious Response (1.20.2020-7.31.2020)
2.1 Key Decisions and Communications
2.2 Policy and Legal Responses
2.3 Public-Private Partnerships
2.4 Citizens´ Cooperation
2.5 Media Perception
3 Second Phase: Lagging Behind in Vaccination (8.1.2020-2.25.2021)
3.1 Key Decisions and Communication
3.2 Public-Private Partnerships
3.3 Citizens´ Cooperation
3.4 Media Perception
4 Third Phase: The Race to Vaccinate (2.26.2021-10.31.2021)
4.1 Key Decisions and Communications
4.2 Public-Private Partnerships
4.3 Citizen´s Cooperation
4.4 Media Perception
5 Conclusion
References
No Lockdown Please, We Are Swedish: How the Middle Way Country Became an Extreme Case of Government Communication
1 Introduction: ``We Made it our Way´´
2 Perspectives on Government and Crises
3 The Case of Sweden
4 Between Structures and Strategies
5 Conclusion: Dimensions of Swedish Exceptionalism
References
Part II: Local Versus National
National Leadership Versus Regional Command: The Case of the Spanish COVID-19 Crisis
1 Introduction
2 The Spanish Political Scene at the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic
3 The Chronology of the Crisis
3.1 The Precrisis or the First Signs of the Crisis
Development of the Precrisis
The Government´s Communication Strategy
3.2 The First Crisis Phase: Unified Leadership and Radical Lockdown
The Development of the First Phase
The Government´s Communication Strategy
The Main Controversies
3.3 The Intermediate Phase: A ``New Normality´´
The Development of the Intermediate Phase
The Government´s Communication Strategy
The Main Controversies
3.4 The Second Crisis Phase: Co-Governance with the Regions
The Development of the Second Phase
The Government´s Communication Strategy
The Main Controversies
4 The Current Situation
5 Conclusion
References
Rituals, Reassurance, and Compliance: Government Communication in Australia during the COVID-19 Pandemic
1 Introduction
2 Australia´s ``COVID-Zero´´ Approach
3 Politics as Usual Versus Pandemic Politics
4 Political Results
5 The Most Locked-Down City in the World
6 Media Reporting
7 Vaccination and Communication Shifts
8 Conclusion
References
Contrasting Federal and State Government Communication on Facebook in Brazil: Contradictory Messages and Realities
1 Introduction: Brazil´s Political Context and Government Communication
2 Government Communication: From Leadership Models to Misinformation and Disinformation on Social Media
3 Methodological Approach
3.1 Frequency of Communication about the Pandemic
3.2 The Types of Themes Explored when Tackling the Pandemic
4 The Palcio Do Planalto Facebook Page: Are we Experiencing a Pandemic?
5 The São Paulo Government Facebook Page: Vaccines for all and Votes for Dória?
6 Conclusion
References
Government Communication Policy for Dealing with the COVID-19, the Case of Israel: How to Explain to Groups with Unique Commun...
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 Crisis Communication
2.2 Risk Communication
2.3 Science Communication
2.4 Health Communication
3 How Did the State of Israel Deal with Crisis Communication in the Past?
3.1 Israeli Arab Citizens
3.2 Russian Immigrants in Israel
3.3 Israel´s Ultraorthodox Jewish Community
4 Research Questions
4.1 Israeli Government Information Policy and Activities
4.2 Analysis of the Activities of the Government
4.3 Information to Arab Society
4.4 Advocacy for the Ultraorthodox Society
4.5 Gaps in Information for Arab Sector and Ultraorthodox Sector
5 Conclusion
References
Part III: Taking the Leader´s Way
Trump Confronts COVID in Press Briefings and on Twitter
1 Introduction
2 Methods and Empirical Evidence
3 President Trump Tweets and Press Briefings
4 Content Analysis of Press Role in TV Briefings
5 Conclusion
References
``The Situation Is Serious´´: Angela Merkel´s Crisis Communication in the COVID-19 Pandemic
1 Introduction
2 Political Leadership Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic
3 Conceptual Framework
3.1 Legitimacy in Organizational Institutionalism
3.2 Forms of Legitimacy
3.3 Legitimacy and Rhetoric Appeals
3.4 Summary and Research Questions
4 Study Design
4.1 Context: COVID-19 Outbreak in Germany and Political Response
4.2 Material and Procedures
Material
4.3 Procedure
5 Findings and Discussion
5.1 Legitimation Strategies
Pragmatic Legitimacy
Cognitive Legitimacy
Scientific Legitimacy
Moral Legitimacy
Rhetorical Appeals
5.2 Crisis Communication Over Time
6 Discussion
7 Conclusion
References
The Italian Government´s Pandemic Communication from Giuseppe Conte to Mario Draghi: Between ``Leadership Building´´ and ``Cri...
1 Introduction
2 Media Personalization, Self-Mediatization, and Spin-Doctoring
3 Governance and the Public Stage
4 Meaning Making
5 Conclusion
References
Part IV: The Weight of Government Credibility
The Greeks and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessing the Credibility and Effectiveness of the Main Social Institutions and Public S...
1 Introduction
2 The Credibility of Society´s Institutions in Times of Crisis: The Case of the COVID-19 Pandemic
3 Research Methodology
3.1 Hypotheses
3.2 Research Participants
4 Public Trust in Health-Related Persons Institutions and Scientists Representing the National Health System
5 Trust in Political Institutions and Political Actors
6 The Government´s Response to the Pandemic Crisis and the Role of the Opposition
7 Public Trust in Wider Social Institutions: The Case of the Police and the Church
8 Discussion
9 Conclusion
References
``Not One Rule for Everyone´´: The Impact of Elite Rule-Breaking on Public Trust in the UK
1 Introduction
2 Persuasion and Compliance
3 Brand Boris and the Pandemic
4 Not Leading by Example
5 Conclusion
References
The Messenger, the Message, and the Receiver: South African Government Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic
1 Introduction
2 The Context for Government Communication
3 Research Methods
4 COVID-19 News Consumption Practices
5 COVID-19 and Trusted Sources of Information
6 Attitudes Towards and Responses to COVID-19
7 Testing COVID-19 Messaging Strategies Across Political Actors
7.1 Political Parties and Institutions as Health Messengers
8 Conclusion
References
COVID-19 and Government Communication in Poland
1 Introduction
2 The COVID-19 Situation in Poland: Background Context and Data
3 Government Communication
3.1 Employing War Metaphor for COVID-19
3.2 Using Data and Statistics to Create Positive Messages About the Government and Its Functioning
4 Misinformation
5 The Level of Trust
6 Conclusion
References
Part V: The Importance of Social Media
Redefining the Citizen-Government Relationship: Policy Communication Through Online Media in COVID-Era Japan
1 Introduction
2 A Brief History of Public Sector ``Informatization´´ in Japan
3 Public Sector Social Media and Internet Utilization During the Pandemic
4 Case Study in Creating Government Digitalization: The Digital Services Agency
5 Conclusion
References
A vos seringues: French Governmental Communication on COVID-19 Vaccination via Twitter
1 Introduction
2 Communication Surrounding the Vaccination Policy
3 Literature Review
4 Methodology
5 Results and Analysis
6 Discussion
7 Conclusion
References