Disease metaphors in new epidemics: the UK media framing of the 2003 SARS epidemic

Archiving the Pandemic
Dossiers Temáticos

Archiving the Pandemic

Saber(com)vida

Brigitt Nerlich

Patrick Wallis

Social Science & Medicine

Overview

Patrick Wallis and Brigitt Nerlich analyse the different metaphors built around SARS 2003 by the UK media. From military metaphors to the killer metaphor, the authors explore how this linguistic change is embedded in local political concerns, in the culture of the media itself and in spatial factors, contributing to a broader understanding of the social sciences on how societies and cultures redefine infectious diseases.