Abstract

A healthcare worker takes a break as people wait in their vehicles in long lines for coronavirus testing in Houston, Texas, July 7, 2020. More than 60,000 new COVID-19 infections were reported across the United States on Wednesday, the greatest single-day tally by any country since the virus emerged late last year in China. U.S. deaths rose by more than 900 for the second straight day. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare

This study analyzes visual coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic using a semiotic approach. This research focuses on Reuters’ coverage of Brazil and the United States by examining pictures of the week galleries from March of 2020 to May of 2021. This study shows that visual coverage of Brazil and the United States similarly portrayed the pandemic through the amount of images of hope and despair. This research is important because understanding the media’s response to a pandemic is key to predicting the public’s perception of a disease.