“Shelter in place”: Early COVID-19 TV news reporting at the intersection of housing and health policy

How do local media report on housing and health during major crises? The current study examines how housing and policy issues were discussed in the local television (TV) media during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when policy measures were first introduced and communicated to the public. Drawing from a sample of housing-related news stories between March 2020 and June 2020 (N = 87), we explore how local TV news covered housing policy and health equity, using New York City as a case study. Results suggest that communication about housing and health policy was framed in three ways: (1) issue bifurcation, meaning that housing and health were discussed separately; (2) crisis-oriented reporting, with a short-sighted view of symptoms of a broken system, rather than structural dynamics; and (3) a top-down set of viewpoints and perspectives in which policymakers and advocates received the most attention, often overlooking residents experiencing COVID-related housing hardships. Our findings suggest that mainstream evening TV news does not question the long-term implications of certain public policy areas, despite rigorous local political debate surrounding housing and a centennial health crisis, both of which warrant broader analysis. Implications for future research, policy, and integrated health equity agendas are discussed.