The Content Analysis of Rumors Published in Covid-19 Pandemic, Causes and Coping Strategies

Rumors spread in critical situations and cause trouble for the society. The Covid-19 pandemic, as a global crisis, also led to various rumors in Iran. This disease started in China in 2019 and spread all over the world in a short period of time. The purpose of this study is to analyze the content of rumors that have been published during the Covid-19 epidemic in Iran. The research method is qualitative content analysis. For this purpose, the rumors published in ISNA and IRNA from the beginning of the disease outbreak until the official announcement of its vaccine production and injection were identified. First, all the rumors were reviewed, and then the most relevant ones were selected and the content was analyzed using the MaxQda. The published rumors were identified in 9 main categories and 18 sub categories. Nine main groups of rumors were: rumors related to the virus, disease prevention, treatment and control of the disease, mortality rate and dead people, outbreaks and infections, close and reopening of various places, government actions, access to various goods and more rumors. Rumors were spread due to factors such as fear, pessimism, curiosity, wishful thinking, deception, and economy, which had many impacts on people and society. Rumor coping strategies were based on two strategies of denial and retrieval. Based on the general trend of the categories, it can be said that the rumors were not an unusual reaction of the society to the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a natural reaction to a completely unknown and deadly disease that targeted the physical and mental health of the society.