Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

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]

By country

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.[3] 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.[4]

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

In reporting about the outbreak, British tabloid newspapers such as The Sun and The Daily Mail used language described as "fear-inducing".[5] 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.[6]

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

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.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

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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. "How the Coronavirus Outbreak Played out on China's Social Media". The Diplomat. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  4. "Critics Say China Has Suppressed And Censored Information In Coronavirus Outbreak". NPR. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  5. "Coronavirus: how media coverage of epidemics often stokes fear and panic". The Conversation. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. Smith, David (13 March 2020). "Fox News accused of downplaying coronavirus as it moves to protect staff". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  8. 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.
  9. Karni, Annie (28 February 2020). "Trump Criticizes Media for Coverage of Coronavirus". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  10. "Media Coverage and Coronavirus Panic: What the Numbers Show". RealClearPolitics. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  11. "Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to view coronavirus coverage as exaggerated". Axios. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
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