Media Coverage of COVID -19

[Huntergreed]

It’ll be interesting to see if the media embrace or avoid dropping the stay at home message, considering half of their income must come from terrified members of the public purchasing their pro lockdown material because of the effect of fear mongering.

 

[thejuggler]

I ignore print media, waste of good trees. Unfortunately millions don't, which is why this afternoon all I heard a neighbour going on about was looking forward to lockdown ending on Sunday so she can go back to work on Monday.

 

[Mojo]

Has anyone else noticed that the media at certain points over the past few weeks have actually struggled to find anything of note to actually report on? I’ve noticed quite a few times over the past week that the 22.00 news broadcast started late as they allowed previous programmes to over run. I’m also reminded of Saturday (normally a quiet news day to be fair) where they repeated the same story at least twice, and filled up the news with a long piece on some man dying that none of my family has ever heard of!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Has anyone else noticed that the media at certain points over the past few weeks have actually struggled to find anything of note to actually report on? I’ve noticed quite a few times over the past week that the 22.00 news broadcast started late as they allowed previous programmes to over run. I’m also reminded of Saturday (normally a quiet news day to be fair) where they repeated the same story at least twice, and filled up the news with a long piece on some man dying that none of my family has ever heard of!

It appears to me that the Press Conference has ended, it's certainly not in the Beeb schedule for the next few days - so the Government clearly agrees?

 

[Mojo]

One word of defence for Boris though, IMV the people need to take a share of blame too. Some people were very slow on the uptake, perhaps because of the “it’s only the old and vulnerable” message. It’s this that partly meant we couldn’t do what Sweden have done. The media could have helped reinforce the message instead of feeding hysteria but not actually suggesting solutions.

I’ll be honest - I was slow on the uptake (as you put it) because the media continually over eggs and exaggerates everything. How many illnesses have they reported on in the past that are going to be catastrophic? How often do they describe an incident involving a station being closed as “in lockdown?”

 

[underbank]

I don't think that's true.

People were trying to follow the guidelines at the time, including hand washing etc.

People turning up at beauty spots were doubtless trying to have a day with the family, away from everyone else. Except this being England, wherever you go there are always three hundred thousand people already there.

Yes, it was true, people weren't following the guidelines. Huge numbers of people were ignoring the "guidance" in those couple of weeks prior to lockdown. I went to a football match a week before - as usual most blokes in the toilets at half time didn't wash their hands afterwards. In the week before when social distancing was advised and pubs/cafes were asked to close if they couldn't reduce numbers of tables etc - our village pubs were still full each evening. On the Friday evening when pubs were instructed to close, the police had to attend one of our village pubs to forcibly close it when not only was it rammed inside, there was also a few dozen people stood drinking on the pavement outside! People have admitted not isolating themselves when they had symptoms and some have even admitted they went to that Liverpool match or Cheltenham Races with symptoms! The videos of the hand sanitisation station at Cheltenham races clearly shows most people just walking straight past and ignoring the gel dispensers. I went to an oncology appointment with my OH (who had cancer treatment stopped on lockdown day) - people were coming and going through the main doors ignoring the hand gel dispensers which were in your face and impossible to miss.

 

[underbank]

It appears to me that the Press Conference has ended, it's certainly not in the Beeb schedule for the next few days - so the Government clearly agrees?

Let's hope so. It had become nothing more than a circus. With Laura and Robert Peston asking ever more inane questions trying to score points. I far preferred Boris in Parliament yesterday, being properly questionned by Keir Starmer - that's what we need, not a media circus.

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, it was true, people weren't following the guidelines. Huge numbers of people were ignoring the "guidance" in those couple of weeks prior to lockdown. I went to a football match a week before - as usual most blokes in the toilets at half time didn't wash their hands afterwards. In the week before when social distancing was advised and pubs/cafes were asked to close if they couldn't reduce numbers of tables etc - our village pubs were still full each evening. On the Friday evening when pubs were instructed to close, the police had to attend one of our village pubs to forcibly close it when not only was it rammed inside, there was also a few dozen people stood drinking on the pavement outside! People have admitted not isolating themselves when they had symptoms and some have even admitted they went to that Liverpool match or Cheltenham Races with symptoms! The videos of the hand sanitisation station at Cheltenham races clearly shows most people just walking straight past and ignoring the gel dispensers. I went to an oncology appointment with my OH (who had cancer treatment stopped on lockdown day) - people were coming and going through the main doors ignoring the hand gel dispensers which were in your face and impossible to miss.

I went to a football match as well and the comment I heard was "That's the first time I've ever seen a queue for the sink".

 

[scotrail158713]

I’ll be honest - I was slow on the uptake (as you put it) because the media continually over eggs and exaggerates everything. How many illnesses have they reported on in the past that are going to be catastrophic? How often do they describe an incident involving a station being closed as “in lockdown?”

Same here. I’ll admit to thinking it was a massive ploy to distract us from “Brexit Day” at the end of January.
And even in March - the last weekend of football - I refereed 3 games and before 2 of them, out of habit, I shook hands with a couple of coaches, forgetting that we were advised not to. Nobody seemed to mind though - it was just laughed off with a quick “oops”.

 

[nlogax]

The never-ending news cycle is bad enough outside of this situation. Right now there's a cycle in media coverage narratives that I've noticed. For a few days it's 'stay home, don't even look at other people, duct-tape the gaps under your doors' (ok not much but you get the idea). The following few days are more about reopening the economy, easing the lockdown, restarting businesses and putting this behind us. Then it reverts, and repeats..

 

[CaptainHaddock]

The never-ending news cycle is bad enough outside of this situation. Right now there's a cycle in media coverage narratives that I've noticed. For a few days it's 'stay home, don't even look at other people, duct-tape the gaps under your doors' (ok not much but you get the idea). The following few days are more about reopening the economy, easing the lockdown, restarting businesses and putting this behind us. Then it reverts, and repeats..

I think it's not so much cycles but how each paper reports a story differently depending on their politics. For example the headline "Boris gets Britain back to work" in The Sun has, I think, been reported as "Boris risks key workers' safety for Fat Cat bosses' profits" in The Mirror!

 

[Mag_seven]

It appears to me that the Press Conference has ended, it's certainly not in the Beeb schedule for the next few days - so the Government clearly agrees?

No it hasn't - I'm watching Tuesday's conference now!

 

[Bantamzen]

I think it's not so much cycles but how each paper reports a story differently depending on their politics. For example the headline "Boris gets Britain back to work" in The Sun has, I think, been reported as "Boris risks key workers' safety for Fat Cat bosses' profits" in The Mirror!

Its fascinating how quickly those kind of red top headlines get absorbed into the social media psyche. No sooner had the news about getting back to work been described by some media as fat cats forcing workers back, did my feeds start to almost literally explode with meme after meme about the nasty fat cats and the poor workers forced back into their jobs (which of course is far from the case in reality). And try to explain to people, usually fairly well off / retired / home working folk that some people actually need to get back, you know to earn money because they are skint, they just get described as selfish and stooges.

Its a shocking indication that society's ever growing reliance on social media has polarised opinion, and how the media have picked up on this for those all important click baits. Once this is all over, we need to take a look at how the media have often mislead the public and mis-reported the facts in light of it's effect. I am a firm believer in free press, but they need to stop using crisis's like this just to get extra advertising revenue through their web sites and social media feeds.

 

[adc82140]

Has the media, both print and broadcast, acted responsibly during the pandemic?

I'm saying no.

The problems are twofold. Firstly, epidemiology is a hugely complex subject, beyond the understanding of all but the most specialist reporters. This is evident from the way the "R" value has been latched on to, for example.

Secondly, the normal tabloid policy of print junk to sell papers and pay out when challenged is not compatible with a public health crisis.

Any thoughts?

 

[yorkie]

I share your concerns; many media outlets have been irresponsibly practising fear-mongering.

 

[LAX54]

Are we not in this situation because of the 'information' peddled by the media, and more so by Twitter and the likes ? without that, the World would have gone on as normal, and all of this would have been put down to a bad 'flu' year, we have suffered from mass hysteria by some sectors, thinking it is certain death if they catch it, but when you think there are 8 billion people in the world and of those 500K have died, 1968 with an obviously lesser population, (4 billion) it is estimated 1 million died Worldwide, yet there was no lockdowns, the world did not stop, and we are still here ! 2009, (6.8 billion poulation) 575,000 died from 'swine flu', again we carried on and are still here, and 1958 Asian Flu, took over 1 million. ( 3 billion pop)

 

[scotrail158713]

Has the media, both print and broadcast, acted responsibly during the pandemic?

I'm saying no.

The problems are twofold. Firstly, epidemiology is a hugely complex subject, beyond the understanding of all but the most specialist reporters. This is evident from the way the "R" value has been latched on to, for example.

Secondly, the normal tabloid policy of print junk to sell papers and pay out when challenged is not compatible with a public health crisis.

Any thoughts?

I’d agree and I’ve felt this since March.
There was one night around the 12th or 13th of March when I watched the BBC News at Ten and the whole programme was about Covid. Before then I enjoyed a watch of the news at the start or end of the day, however it is exhausting just having one issue ever being reported. It has certainly encouraged the massive paranoia around Covid that seems to have struck the country.

 

[Richard Scott]

It's still carrying on - just noticed an article with title 'UK should prepare for the worst'. Give me strength, absolutely fed up with it. Some of us just want to carry on with life not have threat of this virus hanging over us all the time so Government can reduce what we do even further. The media are totally irresponsible. I'm willing to say they're not the same in other countries!

 

[adc82140]

I have a complaint outstanding with the BBC about an article on their website at the end of May with the headline "are there food shortages on the way?". No was the answer buried in the article. What an irresponsible headline from the public broadcaster. The BBC have told me they can't find evidence of such an article, despite me giving them the URL. Fortunately I took screenshots. I'm awaiting further response from them.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

I have a complaint outstanding with the BBC about an article on their website at the end of May with the headline "are there food shortages on the way?". No was the answer buried in the article. What an irresponsible headline from the public broadcaster. The BBC have told me they can't find evidence of such an article, despite me giving them the URL. Fortunately I took screenshots. I'm awaiting further response from them.

Just as well people didn’t start panic-buying all over again as a result of reading said headline. The BBC would then have run headlines stating ‘predicted food shortages hit UK retailers’ !

 

[Scrotnig]

I have a complaint outstanding with the BBC about an article on their website at the end of May with the headline "are there food shortages on the way?". No was the answer buried in the article. What an irresponsible headline from the public broadcaster. The BBC have told me they can't find evidence of such an article, despite me giving them the URL. Fortunately I took screenshots. I'm awaiting further response from them.

This article was plugged again the other day via one of the 'live update' things they do.

It is outrageous behaviour.

 

[al78]

Its fascinating how quickly those kind of red top headlines get absorbed into the social media psyche. No sooner had the news about getting back to work been described by some media as fat cats forcing workers back, did my feeds start to almost literally explode with meme after meme about the nasty fat cats and the poor workers forced back into their jobs (which of course is far from the case in reality). And try to explain to people, usually fairly well off / retired / home working folk that some people actually need to get back, you know to earn money because they are skint, they just get described as selfish and stooges.

I think some people are disconnected from anything outside their own narrow field of vision. The UK is a wealthy democratic country where wealth is generated from the productivity of its citizens. How do people think that this wealth can continue to be generated if people are not woking en-mass, and not productive?

 

[bramling]

I think some people are disconnected from anything outside their own narrow field of vision. The UK is a wealthy democratic country where wealth is generated from the productivity of its citizens. How do people think that this wealth can continue to be generated if people are not woking en-mass, and not productive?

Unfortunately I think this analysis is bang on the money.

I’ve heard more than a few people express the view “it’s okay if everything stays closed, they have to keep paying me furlough”. Sadly there are going to be some nasty clashes with reality over the next few weeks.

 

[Bantamzen]

I think some people are disconnected from anything outside their own narrow field of vision. The UK is a wealthy democratic country where wealth is generated from the productivity of its citizens. How do people think that this wealth can continue to be generated if people are not woking en-mass, and not productive?

Its because right now the media are so heavily invested in the big bad virus, pretty much any other news slips them by. For example literally tens of thousands of jobs slipped out of existence in the last couple of weeks. Now under normal circumstances this would have them screaming from the rooftops, but a quick glance at Google Trends comparing covid 19 to job losses shows a continued interest in covid despite peaking in March, whereas job losses barely registers. So the media will continue to push covid news, preferably bad news it seems over everything else whilst people's livelihoods go under without a whisper.

Of course the government hasn't exactly helped, their until recently daily big bad virus briefs and constant fearmongering is driving these trends further, and perhaps a more cynical person might suggest that there is a deliberate policy to do this so as to bury other bad news.

 

[LAX54]

Unfortunately I think this analysis is bang on the money.

I’ve heard more than a few people express the view “it’s okay if everything stays closed, they have to keep paying me furlough”. Sadly there are going to be some nasty clashes with reality over the next few weeks.

Time all the 'furloughed' went back to work, they have had enough time off at 80% and no travel expenses to pay ! rate we are going collateral damage will be far greater than the virus itself

 

[Yew]

Articles like this infuriate me, not "feeling safe" and not "being safe" are very different things, and only the former actually has an effect.

Coronavirus: Rowan Foods staff in Wrexham 'do not feel safe'

Workers say staff are not self-isolating as they cannot afford to and it is "impossible" to distance.

www.bbc.co.uk

Workers at a Wrexham food factory linked to 237 coronavirus cases have said they do not feel safe.

The headline is even more disappointing as the acticle actually highlights that someone self isolating with C-19, is only entitled to statuatory sick pay of £94 a week. And many members of staff can't afford the time off, so keep coming in. I feel that no-detriment self isolation is incredibly important; I'd suggest the full pay, as well as any booked events refunded would be reasonable, as we can't punish people for doing the right thing.

 

[adc82140]

Article on the BBC website today entitled "who is spreading misleading stories about local lockdown?". Oh the irony.

 

[Bobdogs]

Hearing that the daily bore, sorry conference had been abandoned, I switched on BBC2 hoping to find Flog It only to be confronted by pointless Pointless,
Switched to BBC1 only to find a ONE AND A HALF HOUR virus update. Oh dear!

 

[Huntergreed]

I’m get really sick of the media still scare-mongering about the virus. They’re arguably the biggest hindrance in getting back to normal and it’s going to be difficult to have a good economic recovery when they keep up the constant fear mongering.

I came across an article on Facebook saying “UK must prepare for four waves of Coronavirus, experts warn” accompanied with a barrage of comments from lockdown enthusiasts saying things like “we MUST stay locked down until a vaccine” and “how can ANYONE think it’s safe to go out?”.

Until the media stop this, people are simply going to be too afraid to go back to normal.

 

[Mag_seven]

This BBC article really annoyed me for the following reasons:

Coronavirus: 'Crystal clear' drunk people will not socially distance

As people in England enjoy their first night out in months, police voice fears about social distancing.

www.bbc.co.uk

1. Main headline is the statement:

Crystal clear' drunk people will not socially distance

Whilst that may be true only later on in the article do they also state such things as

But police thanked the majority of people for acting responsibly as they enjoyed the night out.

and

The Metropolitan Police said that there were "no significant issues" in the capital.

Make the negative bit the headline and put the positive bit in the detail.

2. The use of zoom lens photographs that makes places look more crowded than they actually are.

The BBC (in particular the website) is becoming more and more tabloid by the day.