On the Framing of the Zika Virus Outbreak in Singapore by a Newspaper

This chapter examines journalism practices involved in how a leading newspaper in Singapore frames news items related to the outbreak of the Zika virus in that country. Newspaper content for the period from 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2016 was examined. Content analysis led to the emergence of four key frames: information of risk magnitude, citizen as risk manager, sensational content and comparison of risk scenarios. Findings reveal that news coverage was highly dominated by the frames of sensational content and comparison of risk scenarios, with a significant amount of information also geared towards promoting self-efficacy on the part of the public. Based on the findings, a few suggestions are given on how journalism practices can be improved.