By: Katie Giles As COVID-19 continues to completely change the world around us, people everywhere are relying on the news media for important information. Whether it’s new statistics, regulations or interviews from doctors-- there are new facts daily. COVID-19 is affecting the media, just as much as the media is affecting the way COVID-19 plays out in day to day life. The real challenge for the people producing news is to make sure their facts are correct, unbiased and are spread ethically-- and this doesn’t just include news media professionals.
It’s not shocking that false information has been spreading rapidly since the virus began. Social media allows for information to spread quickly, which is helpful when the information is correct. However, misleading and incorrect information has been shared about COVID-19 which has led to panic and hysteria. There have been an increasingly large amount of conspiracy theories pertaining to the virus. We’ve heard of xenophobic or racist reports against Chinese people. We’ve experienced people stocking up on paper goods, cleaning supplies and other grocery items-- as if stores would be closing. In an article titled “What Role can the Media Play in Managing the COVID-19 Outbreak?” the author states that “theories have been floating around that the virus was engineered in a lab as a bioterrorism agent,” “thousands of listings on Amazon promoting fake COVID-19 cures have been reported,” and “prices of some sanitizers and face masks have increased by over 2000%” (Powell, March 5, 2020). All of these examples are tell-tale signs that misinformation is being spread all throughout the globe. So how do we do our part in stopping the spread of misinformation? For starters, you can fact check everything you read or hear with credible resources, such as the Center for Disease Control’s website. Besides making sure the information you’re spreading personally is correct, the same article states that “it is important that trusted media sources don’t just ignore misinformation but attempt to counter it,” (Powell, March 5, 2020). In conclusion, we all need to do our part in making sure the information being spread is accurate and unbiased. Whether you’re in the communications field or not, the things you say, write or post can affect how the rest of the world reacts to COVID-19. Sources: https://www.id-hub.com/2020/03/05/role-can-media-play-managing-covid-19-outbreak/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_CDC_logo.svg
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