“Covid free but not free from Covid” : a discourse analysis exploring radio media talk of long Covid in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

As Long Covid continues to perpetuate throughout the globe, the following study grasped the unique opportunity to research how Long Covid has been discursively constructed in the media. The media’s influence in creating and circulating understandings of an issue have long been documented, and have implications for research, policy, and those affected with the condition. A novel, multi-level methodology combining Foucauldian-informed Discourse Analysis (FiDA) and Media Framing Analysis (MFA) was developed and used to analyse radio talk of Long Covid in Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim was to explore the interpretative repertoires, discursive practices, and institutional discourses within talk. All radio broadcasts available online that included a reference to Long Covid within a 26-month period (December 2020-January 2023) were obtained on which the FiDA-MFA method was performed. The analysis produced two interpretative repertoires within which Long Covid was constructed as “Real and important” and “Not being addressed resulting in harmful consequences.” Discursive practices within these interpretative repertoires emphasised the severity of the issues being neglected, and wider-institutional discourses were shown to offer power and credibility to speakers claims. These findings show the media representing LC as a legitimate condition, highlighting a need for better care and supports for patients. To date, this study offers a unique insight both nationwide and internationally and contributed to this important and valuable field.