How The Coronavirus Affects Journalism

Before there was a global pandemic that threatened the earth, journalism was already being put through the wringer due to geopolitical, technological, democratic, trust, and economic issues, which have only been worsened and added to. Coronavirus threatens reliability, pluralism, media independence, self-censorship, legal frameworks, transparency, and infrastructure quality; all factors that free journalism truly needs to function.

There is a direct correlation between the suppression of media freedom and response to the coronavirus in countries. China and Iran have censored major outbreaks, Iraq stripped Reuters of their license for questioning their official numbers, Hungary has passed a coronavirus law that leads to penalties of up to 5 years for spreading "false information"; which is immensely important in this time but unfortunately the term can be manipulated and have a disproportionate and coercive effect. Furthermore, journalists have had to face cyber harassment, targeted violent protests, press freedom violations, unfair imprisonment, and much more. India itself had the longest electronic curfew in history in Kashmir. 

Journalists are also suffering from constraints in their movement, extremely limited access to events, officials, politicians, and information. Moreover, unchecked and enhanced surveillance to combat the virus endangers privacy, data rights, and the ability to protect resources. Authoritarian governments have used the crisis as an opportunity to implement a shock doctrine: take advantage of the current situation and the political hold it causes. The public is stunned and powerless, giving governments an opportunity to strengthen their grip. 

Journalism is also threatened by falling sales, collapse in advertising revenue, increase in production, distribution costs, etc. Companies have to restructure and lay off journalists in large numbers. BuzzFeed has cut the pay for their staff by 25%, Vox has furloughed 9% of their staff and those fired are being given stock in the company to compensate, Vice has layed off 155+ employees. In only a week's time, more than 335 jobs were lost in major companies and countless in smaller companies and local newspapers. BuzzFeed UK office has stopped reporting UK news and the Australia office has been shut down. Companies' ad revenue has taken a serious hit as advertisers have pulled back. Their investors and owners now have a stronger hold on them, threatening their journalistic pluralism which leads to them having to succumb to sensationalism. This issue is also adding to the mistrust of the media. Big names in the industry, such as BuzzFeed, have commented on how their brand may be damaged if they report on Covid-19. Even though there is an increase in viewership, there aren't enough subscriptions and income sources to keep them afloat. 

These factors can leave a long-lasting scar on free journalism, it influences and it's grip on information forever. We could lose our platform to obtain knowledge and express our opinions. Can you imagine a world without news being your reality?

It is also argued that reporting on Covid-19 is futile, the data is uncertain, the experts have varied theories, and translation of complicated scientific research into articles is not only difficult but can also lead to the spread of misinformation. As valid as these concerns are, we must acknowledge, if not facts, then these theories and reports (if written correctly) are truly providing us comfort and a sense that we "know the unknown".

The real problem is not the journalists trying their best, rather the trolls and malicious people spreading misinformation where it is easily accessible to people (WhatsApp forwards, ads, etc) and causing hysteria and recklessness. 

Written by: Katyayani Nath