#12106. Portrayals of Animals in Covid-19 News Media

August 2026publication date
Proposal available till 02-06-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

The title of the journal is available only for the authors who have already paid for
Journal’s subject area:
Anthropology;
Sociology and Political Science;
Education;
Animal Science and Zoology;
Veterinary (miscellaneous);
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More details about the manuscript: Science Citation Index Expanded or/and Social Sciences Citation Index
Abstract:
With animals as the primary and intermediary vectors of Covid-19, we sought to understand the ways in which animals were represented in the news media during the global pandemic and how these portrayals impact the lives of humans and animals. We searched for news media reports featuring animals during Covid-19. We analyzed a total of 452 news articles from three UK newspapers: Daily Mail, The Sun (both tabloids), and The Guardian (a broadsheet). We view the shared commonalities between species as a challenge to anthropocentric hierarchies of human dominance; we explore three main themes: “It’s their fault,” “It’s not their fault,” and “It’s our fault.” Each theme illustrates how animals are represented by news media in the attribution of blame and victimhood of those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Our results show that animals are utilized by today’s polarized media as tools to promote the political and social ideals of the press and their respective readership. The tabloids used animals for the promotion of bigotry, xenophobia, and racism. In comparison, The Guardian held a pro-environmental stance by framing the zoonotic disease as a platform to challenge the human–animal dichotomy and advocate for environmental, human, and animal equality. Domestic companion animals received the greatest positive media coverage across the newspapers, particularly in relation to the value of the human–animal bond for human health during the lockdown. In comparison, across the broadsheet and tabloid press, animals in research received limited coverage.
Keywords:
Animals; coronavirus; discourse analysis; human–animal interaction; news media; public discourse

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