When pro-vaccine media discourses meet vaccine hesitancy

Abstract This article examines how intertextuality and polyphony in online media narratives shaped media discourse on COVID-19 vaccination in Cyprus, focusing on their relationship with vaccine hesitancy. Drawing on concepts of legitimation, pre-legitimation, and crisis imaginaries, the analysis explores how media narratives constructed vaccination as a pathway to “returning to normality.” The findings reveal that while Cypriot media predominantly adopted a pro-vaccination stance, their hierarchical privileging of elite voices — scientific experts and politicians — potentially undermining trust. Pre-legitimation strategies framed vaccination as a necessary response to speculative crises, while unvaccinated individuals were constructed as societal threats. These imaginaries aligned with technocratic discourse, emphasizing expertise while sidelining citizen positioning. This, along with contradictions in rhetorical strategies, such as juxtaposing scientific and religious appeals, may have contributed to vaccine hesitancy. This article contributes to critical discourse studies by illustrating how crisis communication can simultaneously legitimize solutions and alienate segments of the public.