ICA 2021

Covering Conspiracy: Mainstream and Fringe Reporting of the COVID/5G Conspiracy Theory

Edward Hurcombe, Axel Bruns, and Stephen Harrington

• 27-31 May 2021 – paper presented at the International Communication Association conference, online

As the COVID-19 crisis went global in early 2020, conspiracy theories about the ‘real’ origins of the pandemic co-evolved with media coverage of the crisis itself. Alongside and intertwining with their dissemination on social media (Bruns et al., 2020), the visibility of these conspiracies was aided by coverage in not just fringe, but also mainstream news media. This paper examines the editorial choices and dilemmas made by diverse outlets reporting on COVID-related conspiracies by focusing on one key COVID-19 conspiracy theory: the (entirely unfounded) claim that 5G mobile telephony technology either caused or severely worsened the coronavirus pandemic. Promoted by a range of anti-5G activists, and aided by broader anti-technology, anti-vaccine, alternative health, and far-right communities, this claim first appeared in January 2020 and culminated in a spree of arson attacks on mobile telecommunication towers in the UK and other countries in April 2020. We draw on online article data from the global news database GDELT (Leetaru & Schrodt, 2013), selecting any articles that contain both ‘5G’ and key terms relevant to the pandemic (‘COVID’, ‘corona’, epidemic’, ‘pandemic’) in their article headline or URL. We focus our analysis on the period from the start of 2020 to mid-April (after the initial wave of arson attacks). Through a close reading of these articles, we examine the growth of COVID/5G conspiracies; trace the transformation of conspiracist claims as they adjust to suit emerging scientific fact; chart the expansion of coverage from fringe media to respected mainstream outlets; and identify key stories that significantly amplify the reach of this conspiracy theory and conspiracists. Such stories include articles about celebrities like Keri Hilson and Woody Harrelson alleging links between 5G and COVID-19; reports on the arson attacks; and statements for and against these conspiracist claims by political leaders and public health officials. We further enhance this qualitative analysis by developing a timeline of coverage and investigating the linkages between fringe and mainstream media. Arising from this in-depth analysis of COVID/5G coverage, timelines, and networks are new questions for journalists about if, when, and how to report on conspiracies.

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