Cry Wolf!

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged societies all around the world since the beginning of 2020. A state of alert was declared in Spain from March to June. The country came to a complete standstill, until restrictions gradually began to be eased. This study examines how the first wave of the pandemic was reflected by analysing 1,007 cartoons published in various Spanish newspapers between January and June. The results show that criticism of the political management of the public health crisis was the most extensively featured issue. Protection measures against the coronavirus, such as lockdown, hand hygiene, and social distancing were also important issues. Although the cartoonists at first minimised the risk, as soon as the state of alert was declared, the often contradictory measures and strained relations of the government and the opposition parties were the main focus of attention for cartoonists. The present analysis also shows that despite being the main victims of COVID-19, neither the elderly nor healthcare professionals are the most commonly depicted actors in the sample.