WHO press conferences drew longer viewing and more comments

What the study found

The study found that audiences who perceive a risky situation are willing to watch longer videos, post more comments than on other videos, and emit negative or neutral frames when they feel gaps in the official information.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors suggest that these audience reactions are relevant for understanding the public relations performance of press conferences on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when viewers perceive gaps in official information.
What the researchers tested
The researchers analyzed 3,506 videos from the World Health Organization's YouTube channel, including 142 press conferences published between May 27, 2020, and May 5, 2023. They compared press conferences with nonpress conference videos from the channel's start through March 16, 2024, and qualitatively examined the 13 most-viewed press conferences using framing theory, which studies how messages are presented and interpreted.
What worked and what didn't
The analysis reported audience impact and engagement correlations for press conferences. It also found that the 13 most-viewed press conferences were marked by negative or neutral frames when viewers felt gaps in the official information.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond the study scope, and it only reports analyses of the World Health Organization's YouTube channel during the COVID-19 pandemic.