Journalism, public health, and COVID-19: Some preliminary insights from the Philippines

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Communication

Document Type

Article

Source Title

Media International Australia

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Abstract

In this essay, we engage with the call for Extraordinary Issue: Coronavirus, Crisis and Communication. Situated in the Philippines, we reflect on how COVID-19 has made visible the often-overlooked relationship between journalism and public health. In covering the pandemic, journalists struggle with the shrinking space for press freedom and limited access to information as they also grapple with threats to their physical and mental well-being. Digital media enable journalists to report even in quarantine, but new challenges such as the wide circulation of health mis-/disinformation and private information emerge. Moreover, journalists have to contend with broader structural contexts of shutdown not just of a mainstream broadcast but also of community newspapers serving as critical sources of pandemic-related information. Overall, we hope this essay broadens the dialogue among journalists, policymakers, and healthcare professionals to improve the delivery of public health services and advance health reporting. © The Author(s) 2020.

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Digitial Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1177/1329878X20953854

Disciplines

Journalism Studies

Keywords

Communication in public health—Philippines; COVID-19 (Disease) in mass media; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- , in mass media; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- —Philippines

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