It has long been noticed that the problem of public information provision has shifted from collecting and selling information to protecting the public from disinformation, and to inability to follow all the information published about any topic. Media coverage in times of crisis, such as the pandemic, has revealed and heightened the extent of the problem of public information provision. In this paper, we present our belief that professional journalists have not responded well to their basic task — providing accurate, impartial, reliable and important information to the public. Instead, the media has often published information based on assumptions, emotions and views of interest to certain social groups, rather than the general public. The banning of large gatherings and events that are a common source of information, limited movement of people and journalists, focus on official sources with limited ability for data verification, extensive use of social media and general disruption of daily editorial routines, have led to the non-compliance with the core principles of journalism. Instead of facts, the media were dominated by interpretations and emotions, which, in combination with poor general media literacy, has led to the spread of fear and distrust in media and institutions. In this paper, we advocate adherence to the Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on protecting freedom of expression and information in times of crisis (adopted in 2007), and improvement in general media literacy in society, so that the media can effectively perform their social role, and the citizens can critically evaluate information available in times of crisis.
Media Frames of COVID-19 Pandemic