Aging and the media in Spain

Reinforcement of ageism in times of Covid-19

Bibliographic Data

ID21719079
AuthorsMacarena Sánchez‐Izquierdo (0000-0002-6444-0545, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, corresponding author), Lua Cables-Chozas (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Cristina Villanueva-Pellitero (Santiago de Compostela AA Coruña, Spain), Rocío Fernández Ballesteros (0000-0001-7357-9082, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Rocio Fernandez-Ballesteros (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)
Year2023
Volume24
Issue12
Pages2799-2820
Publication date2023-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14648849231195459
OpenAlexW4385950456
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited72

The COVID-19 pandemic has made older adults one of the main foci of media. This article explores age-related language through a comparative analysis of headlines in the five highest-circulation Spanish newspapers during the first and second waves of the 2020 pandemic and the 2 years before the pandemic. The results show a decrease in the frequency of headlines that represent older people as subjects of an action associated to positive affection, as well as an increase in representation of older adults as a homogenous group in a negative way, and an increase in ageist terms, especially “elders.” We discuss to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic can reinforce ageism and the possible repercussions

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Affection · Media studies · Newspaper · Pandemic · Pathology · Political science · Sociology · Aging and Gerontology Research · History · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Social Psychology · Technology Use by Older Adults · Gerontology · Virology

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