Media and Covid-19

The disruption that Covid-19 has caused to industries has been immense. However, to the media industry, the pandemic has come with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the disease has negatively affected the revenue obtained through advertisements because many businesses and events have shut, canceled, or postponed. However, on the other hand, media consumption has gone up as people are confined in their homes and forced to rely on it for information solely. However, the cliché that media is a double-edged sword has never been relevant like this period. During this period, both the effective and the ugly side of media has been exhibited.

The media has been very informative about the virus. Perhaps, to inform is the media’s most significant responsibility (Mejia, et al., 2020). The media has been on the fore-front in informing the masses about the virus whose first case was identified in mid-November 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since the virus is relatively new, its information is limited. Okolla (2020) points out that moving facts have been characteristic of the disease, a  situation that has often thrown both journalists and their audience into confusion. During this period, the media has relayed information, only for it to be rendered obsolete the following day as discoveries about the disease continue to be made. The media has hence been present, keeping the public up to date with every detail about the disease with many media houses giving experts a platform and significant airtime to educate the public about the virus. As a result, the public has learned a lot about the virus, with safety measures being adopted throughout the globe. The rallying call to the public to frequently wash hands, avoid touching faces, keep social distance, and wear masks in public has been prominent among media houses worldwide. These efforts by the media have been significant as some countries like China and Australia are reportedly on their way to successfully containing the disease.

Despite the essential informative role played by the media, it has also been abused through the spread of fake news. There has been much misinformation about COVID-19, especially by social media (Ntonjira, 2020). In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that fake news was spreading faster than the disease itself. Some of the theories floated around in the media about the virus include the claims that it is airborne. Additionally, there have been claims that the virus was developed in laboratories as a biological weapon while claims that the virus was obtained out of eating bats in Wuhan China have widely been spread by media (Martha Powell; Future Science Group, 2020). These theories have no factual basis. Such claims have not only created hysteria and panic in the general public but also fueled stigmatization of people, which has easily lead to xenophobia in some quarters. Additionally, stigma created by fake news is counteractive to the efforts of combating the pandemic as people with symptoms of the disease could hide and avoid getting tested out of fear of discrimination. Therefore although the media has instrumental in informing the public about the disease, its use has also been abused through the spread of fake news that has created panic, hysteria, and animosity in members of the public.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 has caused immense disruption across industries in the world. However, the media as been actively involved amid this pandemic. As many companies have been shut down, and others forced employees to work from home, many have been forced to rely on the media for information about the virus. The media has not failed in this as it has incessantly informed the masses in this regard. As a result, the public has learned on safety measures. However, the media has also critical in spreading fake news about the same virus. Th has caused panic, hysteria, and animosity among the public.

References

Martha Powell; Future Science Group. (2020, March 5). What role can media play in managing the COVID-19 Outbreak? Retrieved from Infectious Disease Hub: https://www.id-hub.com/2020/03/05/role-can-media-play-managing-covid-19-outbreak/

Mejia, C. R., Ticona, D., Rodriguez-Alarcon, J. F., Campos-Urbina, A. M., Catay-Medina, J. B., & Porta-Quinto, T. (2020). The Media and their Informative Role in the Face of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Validation of Fear Perception and Magnitude of the Issue (MED-COVID-19). Electronic Journal of General Medicine, 1-6.

Ntonjira, E. (2020, 03 27). Effective communication critical to fighting COVID-19. Scie Dev Net.

Okolla, D. (2020, April 11). The Corona Cold War: The Battle of Media Narratives. The Elephant.