Media coverage of antimicrobial resistance in Germany and Switzerland: An interpretation through the multiple streams framework

Abstract

This article analyzes the newspaper coverage of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) between 1999 and 2021 in Germany and Switzerland through the lens of the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF). The MSF serves as an organizing framework to trace the development of AMR media coverage by focusing on key elements of the policy process: problems, solutions, problem brokers and policy entrepreneurs. The analysis produces three main findings: First, the overall newspaper coverage of AMR is increasing from 1999 to 2021, albeit non-linearly but related to specific events. Second, the general growth in AMR and the use of antibiotics with animals are the most frequently mentioned problems. Different types of solutions are prominent in the media, but only some actors manage to connect their preferred solution to a given problem, while other solutions appear independently of specific problems. Third, scientific and state actors from the national level are most prominent in AMR media coverage, and potentially act as entrepreneurs. Overall, the analysis highlights the diversity of problems, solutions, and actors, and thus of multiple perspectives and dynamics, on AMR as an issue of emerging attention.