“The Torah Shelters and Saves”: covid-19 Pandemic and the Framing of Health Risks in Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Religious Media

Abstract

Despite growing recognition of the important role which culture and religion play in risk communication and framing theory, research on framing in religious media is limited. In the context of health risks, framing remains virtually unexplored. In an attempt to address this gap, this study looks at risk reporting in religious media. By means of a content analysis of 331 news reports and articles published in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious media in Israel during the covid-19 outbreak in Israel, this study serves the dual purpose of offering the empirical evaluation of the “quality of risk information” as well as the framing of health-risks in religious media. Drawing upon the constructivist approach to framing theory, the study’s findings shed light on the mediation of frames through cultural-religious prisms and its effects on the quality of risk information. In addition, the findings provide a conceptual basis for comparative analysis across various cultural and religious groups.