media reporting on the current coronavirus epidemic

 media reporting on the current coronavirus epidemic

The modern-day media coverage on some of the new contagious diseases like coronavirus COVID-19 currently being experienced has impacted fear to Singaporeans. The media has altered the reaction of many Singapore citizens since the outbreak in Wuhan district of China. During the SARS period, the impact was calmer as compared to the current situation being experienced in Singapore. The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has received huge backing from the media, causing some much uncertainty (Zhong par 4). The stories developed on the media have reached uncontrollable limits since the epidemic easily breeds fear due to its easiness to contract the virus. Media platforms are known for inducing emotions while covering critical events and disasters of global interest.

Presently, the media has played a negative role in helping people understand the threats posed by a coronavirus. For instance, the Tech Tent podcast shows that last on 14^th February, an event organized by Samsung in San Francisco was cancelled due to fears over the spread of the virus (Cellan-Jones par 2). Hence, it is clear that social media is increasing fear among different stakeholders in society. As such, it is evident that the media spreads fear at a faster rate as compared to the infection itself. On the other hand, the Chinese government was able to control the spread of SARS in 2003 since it regulated the local media. Hence, the media played little significance in spreading fear to its citizens over the impact of SARS. Policy overloads were created to inhibit the media from assuming the role of providing critical updates on the spread of the virus. So, during the SARS period, the media did not alter research made on the virus outbreak compared to the current situation, which is greatly spreading fear.

The current media involvement in spreading fear on coronavirus has led to their crackdown to control the spread of the narrative as a crisis. The leaders in Beijing have adopted the strategy to stop the spread of a narrative that coronavirus would have originated from a lab in Wuhan. Such stipulations have increased fear from a global perspective to health and economic implications of the virus (Wahl-Jorgensen par 5). The media has increasingly purported that the spread is not effectively controlled, thus downplaying initiatives undertaken by the government of China (Zhong par 6). The fear has engulfed neighbouring countries such as Singapore since they at a higher risk of contracting the virus. However, during the SARS period, the media avoided providing bad news on the virus, which would have spurred fear in countries like China and Singapore. At that time, the media was highly regulated to avoid cases of misinformation but instead relied on scientific findings on the SARS virus.

The media reporting on the current coronavirus epidemic has provided numerous negative comments regarding official statements made by governmental agencies. Hence, uncensored contents have found their way into online platforms, thus increasing fear of the implication of the virus globally. Hence, the state has been coerced to create national-run media outlets to report on positive stories based on the government’s initiative for fighting against the spread of the virus (Wahl-Jorgensen par 7). The Chinese government has resulted in shaming its critics who are against the measures adopted so as to reduce the spread of fear. During the SARS period, the media compelled China into an era of openness to avert the repercussions of such a deadly epidemic 17 years ago. The media played a major role in unearthing China’s strategic approach in fighting the epidemic but never spread fear over the same. So, the media aimed at raising awareness on strategies to be adopted in combating the spread.

The current coronavirus has received prominent media coverage than other epidemics such as Ebola thus increasing fear over its significance. For example, the Times Magazine has unearthed the presence of 23 more articles covering the coronavirus outbreak only in the first month relative to the 2018 Ebola outbreak (Frayer par 4). So, it seems that fear has played a vital role in the increased coverage of coronavirus cases in the Asian region. High circulation media outlets have increasingly published negative news on the implication of coronavirus spreading to other countries. However, in 2003, the media played a minimal role in spreading fears over the spread of the SARS epidemic to other countries. Hence, the media had a reduced implication to individual fear levels but instead focused on increasing awareness. The media jointly with the government helped develop strategies that helped China curb the spread of the SARS virus, thus minimizing its economic and health threats.

The media has experienced rapid progress since the outbreak of the SARS virus in 2002, thus allowing rapid information exchange. Consequently, the modern media coverage on coronavirus has led to numerous misinformation due to the development of cut edge technologies with the ability to analyze huge amounts of data. It is devastating to note that modern developments in media have led to the spread of fear among susceptible nations over the virus implications (Frayer par 4). The current situation cannot be compared to the role of media during the SARS period. During the SARS epidemic, the media did not have the capacity to carry out intensive research on data analytics compared to the current state globally. Numerous information misinterpretation has been developed questioning the epidemic originality and whether it is a form of biological weapon hence increasing fears and anxiety.

In conclusion, the coronavirus virus epidemic as increased fear in Singapore and other Asian countries compared to the SARS outbreak. The increased fears levels are attributable to the rapid exchange of information on social media platforms. As such, there is a need for social media to play a positive role in increasing awareness required to combat the coronavirus epidemic. However, the media has allowed scientists to make inferences on what could have caused the spread of the deadly virus. Nevertheless, the media should shun from spreading fears on coronavirus due to its detrimental impacts on individual health. Hence, if the media would shun from misinformation, scientists would develop critical approaches towards treatment.

Works cited

Wahl-Jorgensen, Karin. “Feeling Panicked About Coronavirus? Media Coverage Of New Epidemics Often Stokes Unnecessary Fear”. Nieman Lab, 2020, https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/02/feeling-panicked-about-coronavirus-media-coverage-of-new-epidemics-often-stokes-unnecessary-fear/.

Zhong, Raymond. “China Clamps Down On Coronavirus Coverage As Cases Surge”. Nytimes.Com, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/world/asia/china-coronavirus-censorship.html.

Cellan-Jones, Rory. “Tech Tent: Is Social Media Spreading The Virus?”. BBC News, 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51510196.

Frayer, Kevin. “How Social Media Is Changing Research And Reactions To Coronavirus Outbreak”. The Conversation, 2020, https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-is-changing-research-and-reactions-to-coronavirus-outbreak-130748.