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. 2024 May 31;19(5):e0304582.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304582. eCollection 2024.

The portrayal of antimicrobial resistance in Bangladeshi newspapers during 2010-2021: Toward understanding the narrative

Tahmidul Haque  1 , Syed Hassan Imtiaz  1 , Md Imran Hossain  1 , Sazzad Hossain Khan  1 , Md Mahfuj Alam  2 , Zahidul Alam  3 , S M Rokonuzzaman  1 , Orindom Shing Pulock  1 , Susmita Dey Pinky  1 , Ataul Karim Arbi  4 , Haroon Bin Murshid  1 , Nusrat Homaira  5 , Md Zakiul Hassan  1
Affiliations

The portrayal of antimicrobial resistance in Bangladeshi newspapers during 2010-2021: Toward understanding the narrative

Tahmidul Haque et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global public health crisis and around the last decade, newspapers were one of the main sources of public dissemination of information for so. This study highlights how Bangladeshi mainstream newspapers represented AMR-related news and how they created the narrative of AMR in Bangladesh.

Methods: We conducted both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on 275 AMR-related news articles published in the twelve highest circulated dailies (January 2010 to September 2021). We divided the articles into report, opinion, and editorials and analyzed how their contents built the narrative of AMR in Bangladesh.

Results: Bangladeshi newspapers reported misuse of antibiotics by the consumers the most (32.2%), followed by selling without prescriptions (29%), and over-prescription by the health providers (26.1%). There were hardly any news reports describing the impact of pharmaceutical companies in prescribing and selling antibiotics. Around 45% of the news articles were event-oriented. Moreover, they suggested inadequate recommendations to battle AMR.

Conclusion: Valid, consistent, and reliable AMR news coverage can play a crucial role in creating mass awareness, making providers accountable, and supporting national action plan in mitigating AMR threat. The Bangladeshi journalists interested in reporting AMR-issues should focus on disseminating more Bangla articles with scientific information, and reporting causes and recommendations responsibly.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Publication of articles by year.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Distribution of three types of articles by year.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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