Big Data Analysis of Elder Maltreatment: Discrepancies, Framing, and Typification in Media Portrayal Post-COVID-19 in South Korea

Introduction: The issue of elder maltreatment in Korea has garnered increased attention in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, marked by a notable surge in reported cases across institutional and domestic settings. The media, serving as a primary conduit for social communication, played a pivotal role during the pandemic-induced period of societal closure, exacerbating distortions in the framing and typification of elder abuse phenomena. This study aims to critically examine the primary characteristics of discourse surrounding the maltreatment of older individuals as depicted in media reports. It particularly emphasizes discerning substantial shifts in care settings influenced by media portrayal within Korea's closed societal context amid the recent pandemic.

Methods: Employing critical discourse analysis, this study scrutinized coverage from 54 media organizations by analyzing 54,321 newspaper articles retrieved from the BigKinds system. the BigKinds is a comprehensive data analysis platform that aggregates data from diverse sources, encompassing newspapers, online news articles, and various media outlets. Researchers leverage the capabilities of the BigKinds system to analyze trends, sentiments, and other pertinent data concerning news coverage and public discourse. The analysis spanned the period from 2014 to 2023, encompassing a decade before and after the emergence of COVID-19, to elucidate alterations in media portrayal of elder maltreatment.

Results: The analysis revealed several notable findings. Firstly, media coverage predominantly focused on instances of physical and sexual abuse, coupled with inadequate care and neglect, primarily within institutional care facilities such as nursing homes and geriatric long-term care hospitals, thereby neglecting the prevalence of domestic abuse among older individuals. Secondly, older individuals were frequently depicted as objects, devoid of their own voices or perspectives within media narratives. Thirdly, discourse surrounding the maltreatment of older adults tended to adhere to traditional familial or filial piety norms. Lastly, most reports framed the maltreatment of older individuals within a criminal justice context, emphasizing individual culpability while overlooking broader social structural factors contributing to its occurrence. Post-COVID-19, newspaper coverage notably intensified scrutiny on physical abuse and neglect within long-term care settings.

Conclusions: The main findings of the study underscore the disproportionate focus of newspapers on the maltreatment of older adults within long-term care settings, perpetuation of an episodic and criminal justice frame that overemphasizes individual characteristics, and the marginalization and objectification of older adults in media narratives. These findings advocate for empirical grounds supporting legal reforms governing media reporting of elder maltreatment, as exemplified by the enactment of the Article 39-21 of Older Korean Welfare Act in April 2023. Such action might contribute to mitigate intergenerational conflicts and societal anxieties as Korea transitions to a super-aging society.