Egyptian Newspapers Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccines: A Theoretically Driven Content Analysis

The Egyptian government has acquired COVID-19 vaccines from different sources; however, the vaccination rates and vaccine acceptance among the public remained low. News media play an influential role in shaping the public's understanding of medical issues and promoting health behaviors such as vaccination. Guided by the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) and the framing theory, a content analysis of COVID-19 vaccines coverage in two established Egyptian newspapers in Arabic (Al-Goumhuria and Al-Masry Al-Youm) between January 2020 and November 2021 was conducted. Findings suggested that the Egyptian newspapers focused on the efficacy of the vaccines but downplayed the severity of COVID-19. Most articles from both newspapers did not use gain or loss frames, although Al-Goumhuria was most likely to use both (loss and gain) frames simultaneously. Specific vaccine information regarding its safety, side effects, and effectiveness was minimal in both newspapers. The differences in COVID-19 vaccine coverage between the two newspapers were limited, suggesting a high level of government control of COVID-19 related content, regardless of whether it is state- or private-owned newspaper. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings were discussed.