This presentation investigates pro-vax discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic. While most expert and public debates focused on anti-vax and science-skeptic politics, often referred to as ‘post-truth populism’, attention to pro-vax discourse remains largely overlooked. By shifting focus from anti- to pro-vax discourse, this presentation aims to scrutinize core assumptions and highlight key characteristics of the dominant pro-science narratives. The presentation critically explores the notion of post-truth and its (forceful) association with populism, while emphasizing the anti-populist and elitist nature of dominant debates in the (post-)pandemic context.
The presentation focuses on the case of Cyprus, which has received little scholarly attention in the context of the pandemic, especially from political science and media and communication scholarship. Analyzing 120 media units that convey the perspectives of scientific experts, politicians, and journalists, empirical findings show that the discursive management of the pandemic takes place in the name of science, reason, and responsibility, with key mechanisms of persuasion being moralistic and fear-mongering narratives that place the responsibility for a return to normality on individual citizens. This highlights that communication about COVID-19 is not merely about healthcare and science; rather, it is inherently politicized and disciplinary in nature.
Giorgos Venizelos is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellow at the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Cyprus. You can find more information about him at the HEPP People page or on his website.
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This event is funded by the ENDURE Trans-Atlantic Platform project, which is co-funded by the Research Council of Finland.