“The impacts are not evenly distributed”: Representation and inclusion of marginalized groups in authorities’ COVID-19 communication

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This article investigates the representation and inclusion of marginalized groups in authorities’ crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach, the study focuses on press releases and guidance documents published on official government websites in the United Kingdom and the United States in 2020–2023. In the analysis, I explore how specific groups of people are referenced by the authorities, and then zoom in on how marginalized groups in particular are discussed. The findings illustrate that the crisis communication in both countries acknowledges the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on marginalized people. However, the ways these effects are discussed may also contribute to discourses that harm marginalized communities by, for example, maintaining negative stereotypes. Overall, the authorities focus on the medical and economic impacts of the crisis on marginalized groups, with less emphasis on social phenomena, such as racism and discrimination.