Comparative analysis of the representation of doctors in the British and American press in the context of coverage of global health crises

Abstract

This article is devoted to a comparative analysis of the representation of doctors in the British and American press in the context of coverage of global health crises. Introduction. Against the background of the increasing importance of information media in shaping public opinion and professional image, special attention is paid to the analysis of how the media represent medical professionals in times of crisis. The research aims to identify common and distinctive features of the representation of doctors in the two leading English-language information systems, which allows for a deeper understanding of the influence of cultural, political and national factors on the coverage of medical topics. The paper uses a content analysis method that includes both qualitative and quantitative analysis of news materials published in leading British and American publications over the past five years. The selection of articles was based on relevant keywords related to global health crises, which ensured the representativeness of the data. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the rhetorical and stylistic characteristics of the texts reflecting the attitude towards the medical community was carried out. The applied methods allowed not only to identify the main trends, but also to carry out an intercultural comparison of approaches to the representation of doctors. The study revealed significant differences in the representation of the medical community. The British press focuses on the collective efforts, professionalism and ethical aspects of the work of medical professionals, which contributes to the formation of an image of trust and solidarity. In the American media, there is a tendency to individualize the successes and critically analyze the personal contributions of doctors, which reflects the peculiarities of national culture and approach to responsibility. In addition, the results show that during the period of health crises, there is a fluctuation in the levels of public trust in both media, but the ways in which it is formed and maintained differ markedly. The data obtained suggest that the peculiarities of media discourse are determined not only by professional, but also by the cultural traditions of each country. The revealed patterns indicate the need to take into account cross-cultural differences when developing communication strategies in crisis situations. This study contributes to the development of media representation theory and provides recommendations for future interdisciplinary research in the field of information communications and media sociology.