COVID-19 VACCINES: THE POLISH INFORMATION SPACE. INTERIM REPORT NUMBER 6
COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space using the example of articles published by Onet.pl, Wp.pl, Interia.pl, Wpolityce.pl, Gazeta.pl in the period between 19 July and 1 August 2021.
Below are presented the partial results of the monitoring conducted by the Center for Propaganda and Disinformation Analysis as a part of the “Covid-19 vaccines in Polish- and Russian-language online media outlets: specifics and correlation between them in Polish and Russian information spaces” project and implemented during the period of 10 May – 29 August 2021.
Source: Own elaboration, Center for Propaganda and Disinformation Analysis
Quantitative analysis:
The studied news sites published a total of 192 news on vaccines. It is necessary to subtract 15 results from this number, as they were wrongly included by the monitoring software mainly for two reasons: either due to the phrase "Sputnik" within the content, which in this context was the name of the Russian news agency and not a formulation, or there were included links to other articles with names of the vaccines in their titles. More on this in the Methodology section.
The largest number of publications on vaccines appeared on wpolityce.pl (54 news), followed by interia.pl (49), onet.pl (46) and wp.pl (34), and the least on gazeta.pl (27).
Across all the websites, most attention was given to Pfizer (139 mentions), AstraZeneca (96), Moderna (82), and J&J (65). Every site covered the Russian Sputnik formulation (11 times) and those made in China (Sinovac – 5, Sinopharm – 4) as well as the American Novavax (3) and Kazakh QazVac vaccine (1).
None of the monitored websites included any information regarding the Indian Covaxin formulation, Russian EpiVacCorona, Chinese Cansino, Convidecia, Covivac vaccines (CanSino, Convidecia, Vero), Indian Covaxin, German CureVac, American Novavax or Kazakh QazVac.
The news focused more often on foreign affairs (109 news) rather than the internal ones (68).
In the studied media, a pro-vaccine article was identified, specifically about unjustified fears of AstraZeneca (Szczepionka, której nikt nie chce: jak AstraZeneca zaprzepaściła swoją szansę, Onet Politico, 01.08.2021). As for the anti-vaccine content, they were limited to individual cases, such as reports on an agency trying to bribe Youtube creators from Europe to spread disinformation about Pfizer, or an incident in Gdynia, where anti-vaccine activists destroyed the “vaccine bus”.
Source: Own elaboration, Center for Propaganda and Disinformation Analysis
Main topics:
The delta variant of the coronavirus (61 news) was the main topic dominating in the analyzed period. The following positions include: pandemic restrictions (22), 19 mentions of complications and the third dose of vaccinations, and the so-called covid passports (17). The COVID-19 and the fourth wave conspiracies (after 12), tests (8) and the segregation resulting from vaccination were least mentioned (3).
The dominant threads were the following:
- Reports on the spread of the fourth wave of the pandemic in Poland;
Selected articles:
- Wirusolog: Czwarta fala może rozpocząć się w Polsce w drugiej połowie sierpnia, Interia Wydarzenia, 19.07.2021.
- Czwarta fala koronawirusa. Adam Niedzielski: ten zegar tyka, Onet Wiadomości, 23.07.2021.
- Dyrektor WiM ostrzega przed IV falą: „Zaszczepienie to jedyny sposób!”; „Najgorszy scenariusz to 10-15 tys. zakażeń dziennie”. Kiedy?, wPolityce.pl, 25.07.2021.
- Debunking the theory of increased risk of cardiovascular infarction in people over 75 vaccinated with Pfizer;
Selected articles:
- Naukowcy: szczepionka Pfizera nie zwiększa ryzyka zawału sercowo-naczyniowego u osób powyżej 75 lat, Gazeta.pl, 19.07.2021.
- Szczepienia Pfizerem. Nowe wyniki badań: Preparat nie zwiększa ryzyka sercowo-naczyniowego u osób powyżej 75 lat, Interia Wydarzenia, 19.07.2021.
- Optymistyczne wyniki badań francuskich naukowców. Chodzi o szczepienia seniorów na COVID, WP Wiadomości, 19.07.2021.
- Lack of antibodies in Hungarians vaccinated with Sinopharm and studies proving the antibody level decline after Sinovac (M. Wyrzykowska (PAP), Węgry. Problem z chińską szczepionką przeciw COVID. U części osób „nie pojawiły się przeciwciała”, Gazeta.pl, 20.07.2021);
- Reports of the possible introduction of a second Johnson & Johnson dose (Szczepionka Johnson & Johnson nie wystarczy? Może być potrzebna kolejna dawka, Interia Zdrowia, 21.07.2021);
- New broken vaccination records by the Poles;
Selected articles:
- M. Burza, W Polsce wykonano ponad 33 mln szczepień. Kraska: Przed nami dużo pracy, Gazeta.pl, 22.07.2021.
- Liczba w pełni zaszczepionych osób w Polsce przekroczyła 17,1 mln! Wykonano ponad 33,9 mln szczepień. Co z dostawami preparatów?, wPolityce.pl, 29.07.2021.
- Studies on the effectiveness of the Pfizer, AstraZeneki and Johnson & Johnson vaccines against the delta variant;
Selected articles:
- Wariant Delta a szczepienia. Preparat na COVID-19 firmy Johnson&Johnson może być mniej skuteczny, Interia Wydarzenia, 21.07.2021.
- Badania wykazują: Szczepionki Pfizera i AstryZeneki skuteczne również przeciwko wariantowi Delta. SPRAWDŹ SZCZEGÓŁY, wPolityce.pl, 22.07.2021.
- S. Bagińska, Te szczepionki przeciwko COVID-19 są skuteczne na wariant Delta, WP Wiadomości, 22.07.2021.
- Enforcement of a lockdown in Australia;
Selected articles:
- Australia: W Sydney rośnie liczba nowych przypadków koronawirusa, Interia Wydarzenia, 23.07.2021.
- U. Ziemska, Australia. Po wzroście zakażeń epidemia w Sydney „zagrożeniem bezpieczeństwa narodowego", Gazeta.pl, 23.07.2021.
- D. Nowicki, Lockdown w Sydney. Kolejne cztery tygodnie twardego zamknięcia, WP Wiadomości, 28.07.2021.
- Beginning of trials of COVID-19 vaccine pills in Israel and Japan;
Selected articles:
- Izrael będzie pierwszym krajem, który przetestuje doustną szczepionkę przeciw Covid-19. „Nie będzie grupy placebo”, wPolityce.pl, 23.07.2021.
- K. Kraushar, Izrael. Powstaną doustne szczepionki przeciwko COVID-19. Będzie je można przyjmować w domu, Gazeta.pl, 22.07.2021.
- A concerning pandemic situation in Spain (5th wave);
Selected articles:
- W Hiszpanii najwięcej zakażeń od stycznia, Interia Wydarzenia, 24.07.2021.
- N. Pacholczyk, Hiszpania walczy z koronawirusem. Ponad 31 tysięcy dobowych zakażeń, najwięcej od stycznia, Gazeta.pl, 24.07.2021.
- B. Kołodziejczyk, Dziesiątki tysięcy zakażeń. Hiszpanie walczą z wirusem, WP Wiadomości, 24.07.2021.
- Free vaccinations for tourists in Croatia (K. Cieślik, Chorwacja wprowadza bezpłatne szczepienia dla turystów. Wystarczy dowód, Gazeta.pl, 24.07.2021);
- Problems related to Sputnik V: lack of passports for the citizens of San Marino and the termination of the vaccine procurement agreement by African countries;
Selected articles:
- Afrykańskie kraje zrywają umowy na dostawę Sputnika V, Onet Wiadomości, 24.07.2021.
- S. Wysocka, Problemy mieszkańców San Marino. Ich przepustki covidowe nieważne we Włoszech?, Onet, 25.07.2021.
- Full vaccination of the entire adult population of Bhutan;
Selected articles:
- E. Walas, W tym kraju szczepienia mają za sobą. Imponująca frekwencja, WP Wiadomości, 27.07.2021.
- W tym kraju zaszczepiono całą dorosłą populację przeciw COVID-19, Onet, 27.07.2021.
- Mobile vaccination points in Poland;
Selected articles:
- Na Śląsku można zaszczepić się po niedzielnej mszy. Mobilne punkty przy parafiach, Onet Śląsk, 30.07.2021.
- J. Zaremba, Mazury. Mobilne punkty szczepień w salach parafialnych, WP Wiadomości, 30.07.2021.
- Weekendowa akcja szczepień na Kaszubach. Nie trzeba się zapisywać, Onet Trójmiasto, 28.07.2021.
- Stricter entry regulations rules imposed by Germany and the USA;
Selected articles:
- P. Osadnik, Niezaszczepieni nie wjadą do Niemiec? Ważne informacje dla Polaków, WP Wiadomości, 28.07.2021.
- Władze Niemiec zaostrzają zasady przekraczania granicy z powodu koronawirusa, Onet, 30.07.2021.
- I. Nestioruk, Wakacje 2021 - Stany Zjednoczone. Nie będzie otwarcia granic USA dla turystów z Europy, Gazeta.pl, 28.07.2021.
Conclusions:
- In the studied media there was a continuation of the narrative, according to which vaccines produced by Russia and China are unreliable. This was evidenced by research results regarding the antibodies or broken contracts with Russia by African countries (Afrykańskie kraje zrywają umowy na dostawę Sputnika V, Onet Wiadomości, 24.07.2021). The unreliability of these vaccines was pointed out not only because of their comparatively lower effectiveness, but also due to the delayed delivery of the next doses, as in the case of Sputnik V. Indirectly, there was an assumption being promoted that Europeans were in a much better situation than countries that had so far relied on vaccines other than Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.
- On the other hand, the media kept switching between information on the benefits of vaccines approved in the European Union and reports on extreme post-injection complications.
- Based on the news about the new restrictions introduced for unvaccinated people, whilst reducing them for those who have the certificates, one could conclude that it pays for EU citizens to get vaccinated.
Author: Raffaella Margaryan
Editorial supervision: Marta Kowalska
Graphic layout: Katarzyna Rogala
READ THE FULL REPORT: The article is part of the report: “COVID-19 vaccines in Polish- and Russian-language online media outlets: specifics and correlation between them in Polish and Russian information spaces”, which we are about to publish soon.
See related:
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space in the period between 10 May and 23 May 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space in the period between 24 May and 6 June 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space in the period between 7-20 June 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space in the period between 21 June and 4 July 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space in the period between 5-18 July 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space in the period between 2-15 August 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Polish information space in the period between 16-29 August 2021
The publication is part of the report: “COVID-19 vaccines in Polish- and Russian-language online media outlets: specifics and correlation between them in Polish and Russian information spaces”. This report has been prepared with support from IRI's Beacon Project. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of IRI.
