JOUR 485 Final Blog Post

The news media plays a vital role in society by disseminating important information that impacts people’s lives. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, people have looked to the news media more than ever. It is important in a crisis when people are scared and overwhelmed by uncertainty, that the news media uses their role to do good rather than spread misinformation or an agenda.

There has a been a common theme that the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis. At first, we had very little information about the COVID-19 virus, and today people still debate the validity of certain issues surrounding the virus such wearing masks and whether people should get vaccinated. Many people across the United States have also struggled to trust the information about the pandemic provided by the mainstream media.

The media played a positive role in the pandemic by transmitting information from health officials about the virus including symptoms, how to get tested, and ways to lower the risk of contracting the virus. The media delivered official information from the CDC and WHO about the virus so that citizens could be informed.

This BBC article is an example of a helpful and informative article about the COVID symptoms and protection against the virus. This article listed important information and explained that the virus affects different people in different ways and has similar to symptoms to other types of viruses. The article also informs people of what to do if they do test positive for COVID-19.

An issue that appeared in the media during the pandemic however is that many news articles and television news channels used a rhetoric that instilled fear in people about virus. For example, this CNN article’s headline reads “The deadly new coronavirus is starting to spread in the U.S. here’s how to protect yourself.” While the articles goes on to explain valuable information about the virus with sources attributed, the headline is misleading in the sense that it is not deadly for all people who contract it.

It is true that the coronavirus has tragically caused the deaths of many people, but not every person who contracts the virus is affected this way. Most healthy people who contract the virus only experience mild symptoms and it is more likely to be severe for those in vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

I think that the media unfortunately created an unhealthy sense of fear in people across the U.S., making them scared to leave their homes, go to work, and go about their daily lives in safe way. The virus is real and needs to be taken seriously, but it should not have been used to instill fear so that those in power could have more control.

Unfortunately, one of the affects of lock downs has been the shutting down of many businesses for an extended period of time. Small business across the country have suffered from the pandemic and are still recovering because of the crippling fear that that was instilled in people about the virus.

There has also been contrasting information about COVID-19 available on the internet which has made it difficult to know what is the truth. This was especially true at the beginning of lock downs and when there was very little confirmed information available.

When social media is the only way that some people receive news, information can become misconstrued. During any crisis or issue, people need to look to multiple news sources and official government sources to compare information and do their own research in order to be more accurately informed.

Tension between the mainstream media and those in power heightened during the pandemic. Because a mistrust in the media already existed across the country and in some government offices, clear communication about the virus without bias or an agenda was not always present. While journalists must always keep government officials under scrutiny, a respected relationship between the media and government officials is needed during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic so that citizens are fully informed.

The news media has been a vital component of transmitting important information about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has also been a large component why there was widespread misinformation and fear regarding the virus.