Framing COVID-19: Public Leadership and Crisis Communication By Chancellor Angela Merkel During the Pandemic in 2020

ABSTRACT

While communication generally embodies an essential part of public leadership, this is even more true in times of crisis when uncertainty prevails, and the public expects the leader not only to take adequate measures to mitigate the crisis, but also to justify and explain these measures. In the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela Merkel’s communication differed from other Western political leaders who strongly relied on a war narrative. This paper focuses on the framing by the German Chancellor during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (March–July 2020). We examine Merkel’s crisis communication in three different public arenas: her public speeches, her press conference appearances and her weekly podcasts. Based on a qualitative content analysis, our study provides three relevant insights. First, it proves that the claim for solidarity – national as well as European solidarity - represents the crucial element of Merkel’s meaning-making narrative. Second, the study shows that both statements on the protection of public health and of economy strongly resonate in her communication, but that the prioritisation shifted over time. Finally, our analysis manifests how Merkel’s framing differs in the three communicative arenas. Additionally, our findings indicate that Merkel followed a modified leadership style during the COVID-19 crisis.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• crisis communication
• public leadership
• Germany
• Merkel
• solidarity

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editors of the special issue, Sebastian Jäckle, Markus Siewert, Janina Steinert and Stefan Wurster, for their constructive feedback and comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. We are especially grateful to Jennifer Cyriax for her excellent research assistance.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RESEARCH MATERIALS

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed https://doi.org/10.1080/09644008.2022.2028140

Notes

1 Other leaders considered successful are Jacinda Ahern (New Zealand), Tsai Ing-wen (Taiwan) and Moon Jae-in (South Korea).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marianne Kneuer

Marianne Kneuer is Full Professor of Comparative Politics at the TU Dresden, Germany. Her research interests encompass political communication and digital media. She is partner in two research consortiums on solidarity in crisis situations. In the SAFE-19 consortium with GESIS, Cologne, focusing on solidarity in the Covid-19 pandemic, she chairs a research project on solidarity and difficult trade-offs during Covid-19. This consortium is funded by the German Ministry of Research and Science.

Stefan Wallaschek

Stefan Wallaschek is postdoctoral researcher in the Interdisciplinary Centre for European Studies (ICES) at the Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany. He is currently working in the international research project ‘Value conflicts in a differentiated Europe: The impact of digital media on value polarisation in Europe (ValCon)’. His research interests include the analysis of political (online-)communication and social media, solidarity as well as European politics in times of crisis.