Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic has varied by country, time period and media outlet, ranging from outright censorship to extensive coverage.

For broader coverage of the pandemic's impact on the journalism industry, see Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on journalism.
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Level of coverage

Within January 2020, the first full month in which the outbreak was known, Time recorded 41,000 English-language articles containing the term "coronavirus", of which 19,000 made it to headlines. This was compared with the Kivu Ebola epidemic, which had 1,800 articles and 700 headlines in August 2018. Paul Levinson, a researcher in communications and media studies, attributed this wide disparity to backlash from perceived overcoverage of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, coupled with concerns regarding Chinese censorship of the coverage.[1]

Recode reported on 17 March that, out of 3,000 high-traffic news sites, around 1 percent of published articles are related to the disease, but those articles generate around 13 percent of all views, with subtopics such as social distancing, flattening the curve and self-quarantine being particularly popular. The total number of article views itself was some 30 percent higher in mid-March 2020 compared to in mid-March 2019.[2]

Dr. Sylvie Briand, Director of Global Infectious Hazards Preparedness Department of the World Health Organization, mentions in an interview several concerns related to the spread of misinformation and the resulting consequences. For example, Dr. Briand mentions the fake reports which spread across Iran indicating that ingestion of methanol could cure the COVID-19 virus, resulting in over 300 deaths.[3] Dr. Briand also mentions actions being taken by the WHO to combat the spread of misinformation by meeting with faith-based organizations, the health care sector, World Organization of Family Doctors, the private sector, travel and tourism industry, as well as other businesses as a means of aiding in the spread of accurate information. Other large media platforms have been making a similar effort to control misinformation such as Twitter and Facebook providing links on news feeds to credible health sources such as the WHO and websites of local health authorities, and Google Scholar highlighting leading medical journals and other credible sites.[4]

An analysis of approximately 141,000 English language news headlines related to the Coronavirus from January 15, 2020 to June 3, 2020 uncovered that 52% of headlines evoked negative sentiments while only 30% evoked positive sentiments.[5] The authors suggest that the headlines are contributing to fear and uncertainty which is having negative health and economic outcomes.

Misinformation

The number of outlets and entities covering the COVID-19 pandemic will surely prove to have been a source of misinformation and confusion related to virus spread information and national and state policies. Dr. Sylvie Briand, Director of Global Infectious Hazards Preparedness Department of the World Health Organization, mentioned that one of the major concerns related to communication challenges is the role of social media. Briand stated that the WHO is carefully monitoring the coronavirus infodemic on social media utilizing artificial intelligence.[3] According to Pew Research Center the most popular sources of news for adults in the United States include news websites and social media.[6] Also, Twitter is recorded as having the highest number of news focused users among other social media outlets[7] Romanian scholar Sofia Bratu[8] conducted a study which considered individuals’ perception of the source of fake news by surveying nearly 5000 U.S. citizens and  analyzing data from The Economist, Gallup, Pew Research Center, YouGov, among other reputable survey organizations. Scholars suggest that misinformation is to blame for escalated stress reactions, physical and mental health declines related to stress, and increased burden on healthcare facilities with patients who are not truly exhibiting symptoms or are exhibiting symptoms as an adverse reaction to false cures and treatments.[9][8] However, Brafu[8] does mention that televised interviews with COVID-19 survivors may in fact assist in alleviating stress, panic, and fear of death.

Others argue that newsrooms should play a role in filtering misinformation before ‘giving it oxygen’.[10] While not all fake news is putting the health and safety of the people at risk, information related to COVID-19 could. Niemen Reports suggests that newsrooms should be working collaboratively to deliver consistent messages related to false and inaccurate information by choosing headlines, wording, and images carefully.

An example of fake news related to the COVID-19 pandemic was that the virus could be spread via 5G.[11] Another, that the virus was manually created in a lab by government leaders[12][13] or that consuming chlorine dioxide would treat or prevent the virus.[14] Other viral pieces of misinformation include that Vitamin C and garlic could cure the virus even though this claim was never substantiated by health professionals.[12] Misinformation has also led to racial discrimination and displays of xenophobia toward Chinese individuals through the referral of the disease as the "Chinese virus pandemonium"[15] or "Wuhan Virus" or "China Virus".[16] As a result of this misinformation several fact checking websites have appeared which utilize information from the CDC and WHO to debunk common viral information.[17][18][19]

By country

Canada
Further information: COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

The first confirmed case of COVID-19, as reported by the Canadian Healthcare Network, was January 25, 2020 in a Toronto man who had recently traveled to Wuhan, China.[20] The first case was announced on Toronto Public Health Officials' Twitter account.[21]

China
Further information: COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China

The Chinese government has received significant criticism for its censoring of the extent of the outbreak. Immediately following the initial quarantine of Wuhan and nearby cities, Chinese state media such as the People's Daily initially encouraged social media posts seeking help between citizens on platforms such as Weibo.[22] Multiple journalists then published investigative pieces contradicting official statements and media, indicating that the number of cases in Wuhan is significantly larger than is reported.[23]

United Kingdom
Further information: COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

The first confirmed case in the UK, as reported by GOV.UK , was January 30, 2020.In reporting about the outbreak, British tabloid newspapers such as The Sun and the Daily Mail used language described as "fear-inducing".[24] According to Edelman's Trust Barometer, journalists were the least-trusted source for information regarding the pandemic in the UK, with 43 percent out of the surveyed trusting them to report the truth, behind government officials (48%) and "most-affected countries" (46%). This was despite conventional media being the primary source of information regarding the pandemic in the UK.[25]

A study conducted in May 2020 in association with the University of Oxford showed that the UK public is exhibiting declining trust in the government as a source of information. Only 48% rated the government relatively trustworthy, which is down from 67% six weeks earlier. Moreover, 38% of people are stating that they are concerned false or misleading coronavirus information from the government, a figure which was only 27% six weeks earlier.[26]

United States
Further information: COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

The first confirmed case in the US, as reported by the CDC, was January 22, 2020.[27] Opinion hosts and guests on Fox News, a conservative media outlet, initially downplayed the disease outbreak, with some guests accusing other media outlets of overplaying the disease for political reasons.[28] One Fox Business host, Trish Regan, claimed on her show Trish Regan Primetime that coronavirus' media coverage was deliberately created by the Democratic Party as a "mass hysteria to encourage a market sell-off". On the other hand, Tucker Carlson took a much more serious position regarding the disease, criticizing other hosts which compared it with ordinary seasonal flu. Regan's show was later suspended.[29]

President Donald Trump initially accused media outlets such as CNN of "doing everything they can to instill fear in people", a statement echoed by Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.[30] Trump had been mentioned in between a quarter and a third of media reports regarding the virus in the US between 25 February and 28 February.[31] An Axios survey, conducted between 5 and 9 March 2020, found that 62% of Republican supporters believed that the outbreak's coverage by media is exaggerated, compared to 31% of Democratic supporters and 35% of independents.[32]

Among media scholars, many elements of mainstream journalists' efforts to adapt to the pandemic and provide reliable information to their audience have been praised, but some have been criticized. Writing for The Atlantic, Ed Yong noted that, as the pandemic unfolded, "drawn to novelty, journalists gave oxygen to fringe anti-lockdown protests while most Americans quietly stayed home". He also faulted that they "wrote up every incremental scientific claim, even those that hadn’t been verified or peer-reviewed."[33]

Each state's governor and/or Director of Health played a role in making decisions best suited to each state's situation. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Director of Health Amy Acton captured the attention of Ohio residents daily throughout the beginning of the pandemic. Governor DeWine became the first U.S. governor to close schools and limit gatherings to no more than 100 people, despite Ohio only having 3 confirmed cases at the time. The decisions made by DeWine under the advice of Amy Acton became quickly scrutinized and saw pushback from many Ohio residents. The decision made by Governor DeWine to postpone the 2020 Ohio Democratic presidential primary, advocated by Acton, was a point of contention for the public regarding Acton's role in advising the Governor. The decision was ultimately overturned by a judge, indicating Governor DeWine did not have the authority to interfere in the Democratic process. Acton responded by ordering polling places closed due to a public health emergency,[34] forcing the election to be held via mail-in ballot for those who had not participated in early voting. June 11, 2020 Amy Acton resigned from her position as Director of Health and took a role as a chief health advisor to Governor DeWine, a position from which she resigned early in August 2020.[35]

See also

References
  1. "How News Coverage of Coronavirus in 2020 Compares to Ebola in 2018". Time. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  2. Molla, Rani (17 March 2020). "It's not just you. Everybody is reading the news more because of coronavirus". Recode. Vox Media. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  3. "A Voice from the frontline: the role of risk communication in managing the COVID-19 Infodemic and engaging communities in pandemic response". Journal of Communication in Healthcare. 13 (1): 6–9. 2020-01-02. doi:10.1080/17538068.2020.1758427. ISSN 1753-8068. S2CID 221054943.
  4. Merchant, Raina M.; Lurie, Nicole (2020-05-26). "Social Media and Emergency Preparedness in Response to Novel Coronavirus". JAMA. 323 (20): 2011–2012. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4469. ISSN 0098-7484. PMID 32202611. S2CID 214616499.
  5. Aslam, Faheem; Awan, Tahir Mumtaz; Syed, Jabir Hussain; Kashif, Aisha; Parveen, Mahwish (2020-07-08). "Sentiments and emotions evoked by news headlines of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak". Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 7 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1057/s41599-020-0523-3. ISSN 2662-9992. S2CID 220398688.
  6. Jurkowitz, Mark; Mitchell, Amy; Shearer, Elisa; Walker, Mason (January 24, 2020). "U.S. Media Polarization and the 2020 Election: A Nation Divided". Pew Research Center's Journalism Project.
  7. Sharma, Karishma; Seo, Sungyong; Meng, Chuizheng; Rambhatla, Sirisha; Liu, Yan (2020). "COVID-19 on social media: analyzing misinformation in Twitter conversations". arXiv:2003.12309 [cs.SI].
  8. "The Fake News Sociology of COVID-19 Pandemic Fear: Dangerously Inaccurate Beliefs, Emotional Contagion, and Conspiracy Ideation". Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations. 19: 128. 2020. doi:10.22381/lpi19202010. ISSN 1841-2394.
  9. Garfin, Dana Rose; Silver, Roxane Cohen; Holman, E. Alison (May 2020). "The novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) outbreak: Amplification of public health consequences by media exposure". Health Psychology. 39 (5): 355–357. doi:10.1037/hea0000875. ISSN 1930-7810. PMC 7735659. PMID 32202824. S2CID 214629743.
  10. "What Role Should Newsrooms Play in Debunking COVID-19 Misinformation?". Nieman Reports. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  11. Ahmed, Wasim; Vidal-Alaball, Josep; Downing, Joseph; Seguí, Francesc López (2020). "COVID-19 and the 5G Conspiracy Theory: Social Network Analysis of Twitter Data". Journal of Medical Internet Research. 22 (5): e19458. doi:10.2196/19458. PMC 7205032. PMID 32352383.
  12. Mian, Areeb; Khan, Shujhat (2020-03-18). "Coronavirus: the spread of misinformation". BMC Medicine. 18 (1): 89. doi:10.1186/s12916-020-01556-3. ISSN 1741-7015. PMC 7081539. PMID 32188445.
  13. "COVID: No, Coronavirus Wasn't Created in a Laboratory. Genetics Shows Why". American Council on Science and Health. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  14. Reimann, Nicholas. "Some Americans Are Tragically Still Drinking Bleach As A Coronavirus 'Cure'". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  15. Wen, Jun; Aston, Joshua; Liu, Xinyi; Ying, Tianyu (2020-02-16). "Effects of misleading media coverage on public health crisis: a case of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in China". Anatolia. 31 (2): 331–336. doi:10.1080/13032917.2020.1730621. ISSN 1303-2917. S2CID 213455169.
  16. Vazquez, Marietta. "Calling COVID-19 the "Wuhan Virus" or "China Virus" is inaccurate and xenophobic". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  17. "COVID-19 Fact Check". COVID-19 Fact Check. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  18. "COVID-19 Archives". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  19. "PolitiFact | Coronavirus". www.politifact.com. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  20. "COVID-19: A Canadian timeline | Canadian Healthcare Network". Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  21. Glauser, Wendy (2020-02-18). "Communication, transparency key as Canada faces new coronavirus threat". Canadian Medical Association Journal. 192 (7): E171–E172. doi:10.1503/cmaj.1095846. ISSN 0820-3946. PMC 7030882. PMID 32071113.
  22. "How the Coronavirus Outbreak Played out on China's Social Media". The Diplomat. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  23. "Critics Say China Has Suppressed And Censored Information In Coronavirus Outbreak". NPR. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  24. "Coronavirus: how media coverage of epidemics often stokes fear and panic". The Conversation. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  25. Tobitt, Charlotte (20 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Public distrust journalists despite relying on news media for daily updates, survey shows". Press Gazette. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  26. Fletcher, Richard; Kalogeropoulos, Antonis; Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis (2020-06-01). "Trust in UK Government and News Media COVID-19 Information Down, Concerns Over Misinformation from Government and Politicians Up". Rochester, NY. SSRN 3633002. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  27. Calgary, Open. "United States COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by State over Time | Data | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention". data.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  28. Smith, David (13 March 2020). "Fox News accused of downplaying coronavirus as it moves to protect staff". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  29. Gabbatt, Adam (17 March 2020). "'We have a responsibility': Fox News declares coronavirus a crisis in abrupt U-turn". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  30. Karni, Annie (28 February 2020). "Trump Criticizes Media for Coverage of Coronavirus". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  31. "Media Coverage and Coronavirus Panic: What the Numbers Show". RealClearPolitics. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  32. "Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to view coronavirus coverage as exaggerated". Axios. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  33. Yong, Ed. "How the Pandemic Defeated America". The Atlantic (September 2020). Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  34. Dan Merica. "Ohio governor announces polls will be closed Tuesday over coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  35. Evans, Paige Pfleger, Nick. "Coronavirus In Ohio: Amy Acton Resigns As Governor's Chief Health Advisor". radio.wosu.org. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
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