Institutional communication and journalistic treatment of the “ebola crisis” in Spain on October 6th-8th, 2014

Abstract

The first reported case of transmission of the Ebola virus in Europe occurred in Spain. The subsequent management of communication surrounding the ‘outbreak’ brought about a crisis with implications for both health authorities and the media. This paper explores the management of institutional communication by the Ministry of Health, within the first forty-eight hours leading up to the diagnosis, as well as the Spanish press’ coverage of the “crisis of Ebola”. Focus will be placed on the analysis of the front pages of 6 Spanish newspapers (with the largest national circulation) as well as 17 regional newspapers, and their possible sensationalist impact within those first forty-eight hours (October 7th and 8th, 2014)