Spreading the Culture of Fear in Croatian Online Media: Analysis of the Coronavirus First Wave
Spreading the Culture of Fear in Croatian Online Media: Analysis of the Coronavirus First Wave

Summary/Abstract: Culture of fear can be defined as a concept in society where fear is used to manipulate and alter people’s behaviour in order to achieve certain goals. The role of fear in societies has been a research focus of many scholars whether it was a fear from natural disasters (earthquakes, floods), wars, epidemics, crimes, etc. As a mediator, especially today in 24-hours news cycle, the media have an important role in shaping reality and thus in shaping the perception of risks. Having in mind that when the risk is urgent use of media increases and public turns to news, it is essential to know that media can be beneficial for informing the public but can also exaggerate the risks. The aim of the paper is to analyse the approach that Croatian online media used in reporting during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic 2020 and whether they fostered the culture of fear – exaggerated the risk. Method used in the research is quantitative-qualitative content analysis on 912 articles published on Croatian online news portals Večernji.hr and 24sata.hr from 1st February to 31st March. The authors’ intention is to identify the media reporting characteristics that foster culture of fear recognized in practices like extensive coverage, usage of large, intimidating numbers and terms which reflect preoccupation with risk (loaded language), depressing visuals and negative coverage tone as a form of manipulation and intimidation.

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