The pandemic as a political weapon: Analysis of Spanish press editorials during the COVID-19 health crisis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus represents the greatest crisis the world has faced in recent decades. Especially during the first waves, Spain was one of the European countries most affected by the pandemic. Although several studies have been carried out on the media coverage of the crisis, they have largely focused on the news genre. This study examines newspaper editorials’ approach to the issue, helping to analyse the perspective offered in opinion genres. To this end, the editorials of four Spanish newspapers were analysed from January 2020 to August 2021 (N = 243). The results reflect a strong politicization of the pandemic, both echoing and reinforcing political tension, and leaving more technical or scientific issues on a secondary plane.