Jordanian Newspapers Coverage of Cyberbullying during COVID 19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study aims to find out the trends of the daily printed Jordanian press in addressing cyberbullying and to identify the media frames used in reporting cyberbullying. Content analysis was used as a tool to collect data of a sample of 139 press articles published in Al-Rai and Al-Ghad newspapers (63 in Al-Rai and 76 in Al-Ghad) during the Corona pandemic. The results of the study revealed that the Jordanian newspapers were interested in publishing cyberbullying topics. In fact, it relied on government officials to disclose these issues, and that ordinary individuals were the most targeted by cyberbullying in the published stories. The newspapers relied heavily on the awareness framework (prevention and intervention) to highlight the published content about cyberbullying. The results showed that there are no statistically significant differences between the studied newspapers and the active forces that addressed cyberbullying. The study suggestedthat the press is required to enhance awareness of the dangers of bullying on society and its negative aspects. The media should also intensify the publications on bullying in times of crises.