Examples of sensationalised language.

Panic-buying and stockpiling during Covid disrupted the supply chain, causing food shortages and impacting the vulnerable. The government faced criticism for its lack of food system resilience, poor communications planning, and reliance on retailers. The British media frequently reported on panic-buying during early lockdown stages in 2020 and throughout Covid. The media play an important role in communicating information to the British public during times of crisis and influence public opinion. This mixed-method study examined English media portrayal of panic-buying, analysing text and visual data from six of the highest-circulating newspapers from March to July 2020. It reviewed reporting trends, use of imagery, themes, and prominent stakeholder voices. Content analysis of 209 articles showed that coverage was dominated by popular and left-wing press, with 89% of articles using sensationalised language and 68% coded as negative. In a subset of 125 articles, visual imagery showed empty shelves in 64% of analysed images, reinforcing the impression of food shortages. Supermarkets were the most quoted stakeholders, appearing in 62% of articles. Contradictions included reports of no food shortages alongside images of empty shelves and early newspaper advice encouraging stockpiling. Reporting peaked between March 16–22, 2020. Six key themes were identified: supermarket prominence, food supply/access, food policy, individual behaviour, socio-economic impacts, and panic-buying drivers—all themes had relevance to food system resilience. Future civil unrest linked to food-system challenges, potentially driven by climate change, conflict, or political instability, could see panic-buying play a significant role. Research on media portrayals of panic-buying can help policymakers enhance communication strategies and identify critical issues during crises. The Covid pandemic revealed crucial lessons about the media’s potential role in shaping public behaviour, highlighting the need for stronger government communication and collaboration with both the media and retailers to ensure consistent messaging, particularly to protect vulnerable groups.

新冠疫情期间的恐慌性购买（panic-buying）与囤积行为扰乱了供应链，引发食品短缺并对弱势群体造成冲击。政府因食品系统韧性（food system resilience）不足、传播规划欠佳以及过度依赖零售商而饱受批评。英国媒体在2020年早期封锁阶段及整个新冠疫情期间，频繁报道恐慌性购买事件。媒体在危机时期向英国公众传递信息、影响公众舆论方面发挥着重要作用。本项混合方法研究（mixed-method study）考察了英国媒体对恐慌性购买的呈现，分析了2020年3月至7月英国六大发行量最高报纸的文本与视觉数据。研究梳理了报道趋势、图像使用情况、核心主题以及主要利益相关方（stakeholder）的发声。对209篇文章的内容分析（content analysis）显示，报道主体为通俗媒体与左翼报刊，其中89%的文章使用了煽情措辞（sensationalised language），68%被编码为负面报道。在125篇文章的子样本中，64%的分析图像呈现了空货架场景，强化了食品短缺的观感。超市是被引用最多的利益相关方，出现在62%的报道中。报道中存在矛盾之处：部分文章称未出现食品短缺，但配图却是空货架，且早期报纸还曾发文鼓励民众囤积食品。相关报道在2020年3月16日至22日期间达到峰值。研究归纳出六大核心主题：超市的突出地位、食品供应与可及性、食品政策、个体行为、社会经济影响以及恐慌性购买的动因——所有主题均与食品系统韧性相关。未来由气候变化、冲突或政治不稳定引发的食品系统相关危机可能引发民众动乱，届时恐慌性购买或将发挥重要影响。针对媒体对恐慌性购买的呈现的研究，可帮助政策制定者优化危机时期的传播策略并识别关键问题。新冠疫情揭示了媒体在塑造公众行为方面的潜在作用，凸显了强化政府传播工作、加强与媒体及零售商合作的必要性，以确保信息传递的一致性，尤其要保护弱势群体。