Shaping public opinion through the lens of agenda setting in rolling out COVID-19 vaccination program

Abstract

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination hesitancy is a concern that the world faces. The government and private sectors are initiating measures to address this problem. Media plays a crucial role in information and extensive dissemination. This paper highlights the role of the agenda setting platform in shaping public opinion on COVID-19 vaccination program. Massive information dissemination through media can be an effective tool in educating the public regarding the efficacy of anti-COVID 19 vaccines both for self-preservation and promotion of the common good.

The development of vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unprecedented. However, at this time, the concerns are swerving from availability and access of vaccines to the fear and doubt regarding their efficacy and ethical implications. Thus, there is an apparent need for massive communication campaign with truthful data to address prevalence of hesitancy predicament.^1,2 In a recent correspondence, the author proposed dissemination of the vaccination program through the conduct of house-to-house campaign in communities by healthcare workers including doctors.³ Although this strategy posits plausible way, the issue on the safety of the healthcare workers must be considered. Exposure is inevitable in an on-site campaign not to mention the time needed to reach out different communities. This paper proposes the use of mass media for extensive and comprehensive dissemination campaign strategically anchored on Agenda Setting Theory. This theory underscores significance of communication tools such as the media in print, television, radio and online to inform, educate and shape people’s opinions on pressing societal issues and concerns.

Traditional and digital news media sites can reach people at the grassroots. Statistics shows that 1.57 billion households around the world own a television set,⁴ 75% has access to radio,⁵ 2.5 billion read a newspaper in print regularly⁶ and 4.13 billion people have access to the internet.⁷ The use of these facilities using Agenda Setting as media framework can be a potent tool in disseminating crucial information about COVID-19 vaccination program to build public trust.

Mass media reporting on COVID-19 vaccine program can be outlined within the framework of Agenda Setting Theory. Acknowledging that the media can exercise considerable discretion over which stories are worthy of publication and which are worthy of oblivion, Agenda Setting Theory forms and situates public’s mind on the relevance of the information that is extensively accessible to them.⁸ Accessibility, priming and framing of information are crucial in agenda setting framework since the processes generate important life’s issue or concern and present these constantly and repetitively to people. Providing constant and repetitive reporting shapes public opinion and moves people to act based on the information accessible to them. Media directs the centrality of information, which, consequently, has a significant impact on their cognition, emotion and behavior. Given this, media is and has always been a social institution through which perceptions and norms in a society are influenced on messages it delivers.

Using Agenda Setting, COVID-19 vaccine reporting should be primed and framed considering the following themes to effectively guide people in making informed decision, namely, define clearly scientific terms, explain the roll-out stages, specify all available vaccines and number of people vaccinated, report side effects and the use of appropriate illustrations.⁹ COVID-19 vaccination program ought to be accessible extensively and repetitively at the comfort of people’s homes!

Communication binds and builds people together as they discover truth, accumulate knowledge and experiences, and create epic stories of lights and shadows transmitted from one generation to another in continuum. The pandemic is a collective experience which can either make or break the world. People need to know so they can trust the government and actively engage in the vaccination program not only for self-preservation but as an ethical obligation to promote the common good.¹⁰ No doubt, COVID-19 will be remembered as one human feat that will go down in history!

Authorship Contribution Statement

All authors contributed to all aspects of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest in this paper.