Migrants, miseries, and media: measuring the prominence of the miseries of migrants in the coverage of leading Indian English dailies during COVID-19

Abstract

India is facing the threat of COVID-19, and one of the most affected sections during this unfortunate situation is the enormous population of migrant workers working in various parts of the country. In the present study, all the news reports on migrant workers' issues published during the first three lockdowns in three leading Indian-English dailies, The Times of India, The Hindu, and The Hindustan Times, are selected for analysis. A purposive sampling technique is implemented to select the aforesaid newspapers and a quantitative content analysis technique is used in the study to reach conclusions. The study also sheds light on the social responsibility of media platforms in informing the public about relevant topics while publishing news reports on migrant issues. The study has met all its objectives and has come out with several interesting findings. During the period of study, the most number of articles published and the more in-depth coverage was in The Hindu. Another distinctive finding of the study is that the observation of a linear escalating trend in the depth of the coverage throughout the three lockdowns. It is the duty of the elected government officials to bring in policies to support the needy during these unfortunate situations.

Keywords:

• Migrant labourers
• miseries
• COVID-19
• national lockdown
• newspaper coverage

Acknowledgment

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Jyoti Thanvi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, for her support in the study.