The impact of print media on COVID-19-related child health issues in India: First comprehensive report from the World

Sanjukta Saha 1, Tanushree Mondal 2, Biswabandhu Bankura 3, Soma Halder Biswas 4, Dibyendu Raychaudhuri 5, Avijit Hazra 6, Indranil Biswas 7 and Rakesh K Mondal 5, *

1 Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, Kolkata, India.
2 Department of Community Medicine, Medical College and Hospital Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
3 Multidisciplinary Research Unit, Medical College and Hospital Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
4 Dept of Dentistry, Medical College Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
5 Department of Pediatrics, Medical College and Hospital Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
6 Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, Kolkata, India.
7 Medical College and Hospital Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
 
Research Article
International Journal of Science and Technology Research Archive, 2025, 08(02), 074-081.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijstra.2025.8.2.0035
Publication history: 
Received on 04March 2025; revised on 19 April 2025; accepted on 21 April 2025
 
Abstract: 
The study examined the coverage of COVID-19-related child health issues in four of the most widely circulated newspapers in Kolkata, India. Daily print versions of the TIMES of INDIA, SANMARG, ANANDA BAZAR PATRIKA, and BARTAMAN newspapers were scanned manually by a single investigator versed in all three languages. News items on health-related issues in children were archived and examined concerning various coverage parameters. A total of 582 relevant news items were scanned from April 2021 to March 2022. The TOI had maximum coverage [30.6%, n= 178], followed by ABP [29.4%, n= 171], BARTAMAN [21%, n=122] and SANMARG [19%, n= 111]. The numbers published closely reflected the surge in the total number of COVID-19 cases in May, June, and July 2021 and then in January 2022. Around 88% were of the descriptive type, and 12% were interpretive news. Frontpage coverage was sparse. TOI had significantly more articles covering a quarter page or more than the Bengali and Hindi dailies. This is the first comprehensive report on COVID-related child health issues coverage in Indian newspapers. Although the findings are mostly positive, there remains room for improvement in coverage regarding both the number and diversity of child health-related issues.
 
Keywords: 
Child Health; COVID; India; Newspaper; Print Media
 
Full text article in PDF: