A Framing Analysis of the Reports of Coronavirus in Africa by Western Media – A Study of BBC and Al-Jazeera

Abstract

Algeria recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) disease on February 25, 2020. That was the first reported case of the virus in Africa. As of today (August 10, 2020), the coronavirus disease has affected at least 20 million people globally with over 735, 000 people losing their lives to the novel virus. The United States of America Alone has recorded over 4 million infections with more than 140,000 deaths whereas Africa has recorded about 620,000 infections with a little over 10,000 deaths. Africa’s total infection rate represents 4.3% of the global confirmed cases and 1.7% of the reported deaths globally (CNN, 2020; WHO, 2020). Since Covid-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, media reports of the disease have increased exponentially across the globe with world and local media outlets producing extensive coverage and reports on the illness from diverse perspectives (Time, 2020).