Beyond the headlines: analyzing news topics related to port productivity across different phases of the pandemic

Purpose This study aims to analyze the key topics and discussion patterns related to port productivity in news articles, both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, while tracking their evolution over time. Additionally, it seeks to examine the prominence and development of port policies across the selected time periods. Design/methodology/approach BERTopic topic modeling, a deep learning-based model, non-negative matrix factorization and latent semantic analysis topic modeling algorithms were employed to analyze the content of 652 news articles spanning January 1st, 2018, to September 9th, 2023. Findings The study revealed that, in the pre-pandemic era, news articles primarily focused on port efficiency and the integration of technological innovations, with an emphasis on transportation policy. However, in the post-pandemic period, the dominant themes shifted towards smart ports, sustainability, energy efficiency and the global market, with a particular emphasis on sustainability policies. These findings provide valuable insights into key terms associated with port productivity, offering a strategic roadmap for stakeholders to navigate the evolving dynamics of the global port industry across different phases of the pandemic. Originality/value The study provides practical and theoretical implications for policymakers, industry practitioners and research scholars to learn the knowledge structure of the research field and to develop research studies on the potential gaps in the fields for future studies.