COVID-19 in Religious Communities in Focus of the Croatian Media

Abstract

Looking for the media presentation of the COVID-19 pandemic in religious communities on 5 Croatian web portals (Jutarnji.hr, Vecernji.hr, 24sata.hr, Glasslavonije. hr, Index.hr), the paper consists of two parts. The first part presents numeric data of infected and dead religious, and self-isolated religious in the period of 15 March to 15 November 2020. The purpose of the second part of the paper is to analyse the media’s presentation of COVID-19 in religious communities checking was it in a sensationalist manner. The study is conducted by using the method of quantitative and qualitative content analysis of 5 web portals in the period of 15 March to 15 November 2020. Specific goals of the research are to examine the objectivity of the articles’ content and whether they conform to the Media Act, to observe values promoted in an article, and to notice differences in the COVID-19 media reports in female religious communities compared to COVID-19 media reports in male religious communities. The paper deals with the power of media in creating the image of religious communities in the Croatian public.