A Corpus Analysis of United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors: Are Celebrity Diplomats Relevant Amid the Pandemic?

Abstract

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the world was unprepared for the magnitude of effects that followed. The entire outbreak shook all countries, and governments, world leaders, and health professionals are trying to stop the health crisis. Politicians, celebrities, and especially the United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors have spoken out about issues related to the pandemic. However, studies on this particular subject remain in its infancy. To fill the literature gap, the current paper applies a corpus analysis to examine the patterns in news articles citing celebrities UN Goodwill Ambassadors as they are discussing the Covid-19 pandemic. As this paper is interested in collecting all reports published during the pandemic times, the timeline is set from 2020 up to 2022. The findings suggest that there are at least three main messages reflected in news articles citing celebrities UN Goodwill Ambassadors, namely the impacts of the pandemic, measures to overcome the global health crisis, and the importance of donations. This study sheds light on how celebrity diplomats continue to shape their roles in international communities by leveraging their influence as public figures.