Publication: Los nombres de la epidemia de 1918 en la prensa de la época,
Authors
Hurtado González, Silvia
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Publisher
Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
La pandemia que padecemos ha dado pie a considerar (o reconsiderar) los varios
aspectos de la más devastadora de las epidemias de las que se tiene registro: la
epidemia de 1918. En la actualidad, la información sobre esta enfermedad es bastante
amplia y diversa, pero todavía hay puntos concretos poco investigados, como el de las
denominaciones que recibió en la prensa de la época. Las razones para llevar a cabo
este estudio son dos. En primer lugar, se trata de la primera crisis sanitaria que
recibió una amplia cobertura en la prensa. En segundo lugar, en esos momentos, la
denominación de la epidemia supuso un reto para los periodistas que, entre la
creatividad popular y el rigor, tuvieron que ingeniárselas para tratar con las
incertidumbres de la situación, empezando por la cuestión irresoluta del origen y de
las causas de esta enfermedad, que, aún hoy en día, es objeto de controversia. Para
llevar a cabo este propósito, se elaboró un corpus periodístico con textos
pertenecientes al diario El Imparcial. Posteriormente, se analizaron los datos
obtenidos, que pusieron de manifiesto que, en la prensa española, está prácticamente
ausente la denominación gripe española con la que esta epidemia se conoce en todo
el mundo. Es más, la prensa de la época manifestó abiertamente su rechazo al
apelativo “española”. Pero no fue hasta mediados del siglo XX cuando se empezó a
desconfiar realmente de esta denominación, y posteriores investigaciones desvelaron
la inexactitud del nombre.
The pandemic we are experiencing has prompted us to consider (or reconsider) various aspects of the most devastating epidemic on record: the 1918 epidemic. At present, the information on this disease is quite extensive and diverse, but there are still specific points that are little researched, such as the names it received in the press of the time. There are two reasons for carrying out this study. First of all, it was the first health crisis to receive extensive coverage in the press. Second, at that time, the name of the epidemic posed a challenge for journalists who, caught between popular creativity and rigour, had to figure out how to deal with the uncertainties of the situation, starting with the unresolved questions of the origin and causes of this disease, which are still controversial today. In order to carry out this aim, a journalistic corpus was prepared with texts belonging to the newspaper El Imparcial. Subsequently, the data obtained was analysed, revealing that the name Spanish flu, with which this epidemic is known throughout the world, is practically absent in the Spanish press. Moreover, the press of the time openly expressed its rejection of the name "Spanish". But it was not until the middle of the 20th century that this term became suspect, and subsequent research revealed the inaccuracy of the name.
The pandemic we are experiencing has prompted us to consider (or reconsider) various aspects of the most devastating epidemic on record: the 1918 epidemic. At present, the information on this disease is quite extensive and diverse, but there are still specific points that are little researched, such as the names it received in the press of the time. There are two reasons for carrying out this study. First of all, it was the first health crisis to receive extensive coverage in the press. Second, at that time, the name of the epidemic posed a challenge for journalists who, caught between popular creativity and rigour, had to figure out how to deal with the uncertainties of the situation, starting with the unresolved questions of the origin and causes of this disease, which are still controversial today. In order to carry out this aim, a journalistic corpus was prepared with texts belonging to the newspaper El Imparcial. Subsequently, the data obtained was analysed, revealing that the name Spanish flu, with which this epidemic is known throughout the world, is practically absent in the Spanish press. Moreover, the press of the time openly expressed its rejection of the name "Spanish". But it was not until the middle of the 20th century that this term became suspect, and subsequent research revealed the inaccuracy of the name.
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Citation
Tonos Digital, N. 42 (2022)
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