Global Problems, Local Contexts: Representations of the Global Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance in the UK News

Disease causing pathogens are becoming resistant to the drugs used to treat them. This is a global crisis:  In 2019, AMR infections killed 1.14 million people. Human misuse of antimicrobials must be addressed, and microbes’ irreverence for borders demands a global response. To this end, The UN has spearheaded AMR work in global governance, and in September 2024 the General Assembly Produced a Resolution to tackle AMR. But global, high level commitments have not spurred local implementation,  which is ultimately necessary for effective global governance; Policymakers cite a lack of civil sector pressure on governments as one cause. While AMR and global governance are highly specialized topics for experts, but the news serves as a link to laypersons: Indeed,  news shapes public awareness and opinion of health issues, individual behavior, and pressures policymakers to act. Evaluating news sources allows for an understanding of how the problem of AMR is constructed  in a specific country (the UK) and analyzing it’s impact on implementation. Moreover, by analysing the 6 months before and after the UN’s High Level Meeting on AMR (a massive congregation of high level delegates), one can analyze how global governance itself shapes the construction and how in the future narrative shaping practices can help them further their goals of AMR action. In this way, public construction of AMR is linked with policy implementation.