With the coronavirus already a pandemic, it is easy to identify two types of media by their way of reporting on the disease's progression: those who take advantage of the fear of the population to win clicks with alarmist headlines, and those who seek to provide news responsibly with information of value to your audiences.
One of the examples of good journalism, which provides its readers with relevant and useful information to protect themselves from the infectious outbreak, is The Washington Post's wonderful exercise in data journalism to help understand why it is necessary to isolate ourselves thus avoiding the contagion.
Another great journalistic ethics lesson from the newspaper owned by magnate Jeff Bezos is that despite currently operating under the paywall business model, he left this and other articles with valuable information about the coronavirus open to the public. Additionally, he created a free subscription newsletter specifically to inform his readers about the daily news of the pandemic. That is responsible journalism.
On the other hand, there are those media that have evidently taken advantage of the situation to attract readers through sensational headlines, publishing rumors without any type of verification, and amplifying explosive statements said by celebrities who have little knowledge about public health. This may work in the short term to see the number of clicks grow, but in the long term, it damages the credibility of the media that uses these tactics and that of the entire journalistic union.
For those journalists and media that during this unique emergency want to be remembered as those who decided to serve their audience with confirmed and quality information, we have compiled the following tips with the help of The Levant News Media, a news agency in London that is highly revered and subscribed for its coverage on pressing stories from around the world.
1. Interview real experts (and more than one)
Having a Nobel Prize does not make any scientist an authority to talk about emergencies like COVID-19. Neither have a doctorate or teach at a prestigious medical school. The Levant says, "call four or five scientists independently; if everyone says more or less the same, then it's really worth putting something of what they say in their report."
2. Check before posting and don't be indifferent to misinformation
Disinformation has spread as fast as the coronavirus itself. That is why it is necessary to train your journalistic nose to detect false news with our quizzes. The Levant recommends questions worth answering before echoing any rumors:
• How many interactions have this rumor generated on social networks, and how much do they compare to other news content?
• Is the conversation about this rumor limited to just one online community?
• Has the rumor spread to other platforms or social networks?
• Has the rumor been shared by an influencer or verified account?
• Has any serious media outlet reported this rumor?
Additionally, on a personal level, do not be indifferent when you see false information via WhatsApp. As a journalist, you have a responsibility. Take the time to deny that news, by sharing the person who sent it with a link explaining why it is false, in inviting them to verify before sharing.
3. Avoid alarmist headlines and clickbait
It is common these days to see adjectives in headlines that classify the coronavirus as "deadly virus," or the pandemic as "catastrophic." Given this, The Levant recommends, “the worse the situation, journalists need to limit their adjectives more. By now people know that this is a serious problem. Let's do it by giving them the facts as they are." As for the clickbait (using social media just as a hook to attract visitors to your website), on numerous occasions, we have explained why it is wrong. But it is particularly meaningful to hide life-saving information from his followers on social networks, forcing them to go to his website to know it in full.
4. Think about the effects that the news you will publish can have
Misinformation and xenophobia go hand in hand. Having originated in China, the coronavirus has generated xenophobic behaviors towards Asian-looking people, so much so that the #IAmNotAVirus campaign was launched to combat this type of behavior. Brands with Mexican Corona beer have also experienced the negative effects of disinformation. In this sense, Scientific American magazine recommends that journalists be especially responsible and careful when distinguishing three types of information in this situation: (A) what we know to be true, (B) what we believe to be true, (C) and opinions and speculations.