Mediated perspectives on cyber risk: A content analysis of news reporting about cyber threats and safety measures

Abstract

As digitization and the increasing connectivity of devices worldwide shape our every-day life, cybersecurity gains more and more importance. At the same time, many citizens do not feel they can effectively take basic protective measures against these threats. However, it is not yet well understood how cyber risk and safety measures are discussed in public. Therefore, this study investigates how German news media report on cybersecurity threats and security measures and how they portray different actors, in particular citizens. Drawing from Protection Motivation Theory and framing theory, a manual content analysis was conducted including German online media (n = 574) and selected TV news broadcasts (n = 30). First results show that news reports tend to highlight cyber threats more often than protective behaviors. Also, media coverage only rarely attributes responsibility for safety measures to citizens. To conclude, the study finds that German news coverage provides only little information that citizens could use to protect themselves from cyber threats, adding an important insight in the context of the often-stated lack of citizens’ self-efficacy when it comes to cybersecurity.