Media Framing of Coronavirus Pandemic Across Tribal Nations

• In Event: COVID-19 and the Racial Politics of a Pandemic

Abstract

Tribal communities have historically been disproportionately affected by the spread of contagious diseases through “discovery” and settler colonialism, and the coronavirus pandemic is adding to this history. For example, as of May 10, 2020 the Navajo Nation Agencies had surpassed infections in any other US state and as of the end of 2020 were struggling with “’uncontrolled spread” in 68 communities” (Powell, 2020). Yet, while stories of the spread of the novel coronavirus have dominated all levels of media since the end of 2019, coverage of the pandemic in tribal communities was relatively absent from mainstream US media until weeks, if not months, into the crisis. Because of the role the media has in shaping the policy agenda, it is important to examine media coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in Native American communities across the US. Therefore, this project examines the frequency with which ten of the most widely circulated national news sources published articles related to COVID-19 in tribal communities in comparison to the timeline of when the crisis developed within tribal communities.

Authors

• Earlene Camarillo, Western Oregon University

• Stefanie Kunze, Northern Arizona University