Media coverage of the Covid-19 crisis: recommendations and proposals for self-regulation

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.nov.22

Keywords:

Ethics, Journalism, Accountability, Crisis, Covid-19, Coronavirus, Self-regulation, Truth, Responsibility, Justice, Freedom, Recommendations, Pandemics, Deontological codes, Deontology, Profession, State of the art, Review, Journalists

Abstract

This paper presents, analyzes, and compares the main deontological recommendations published by various international institutions and organizations since the start of the Covid-19 crisis. A total of 10 codes were identified from the period between February and April 2020, when the World Health Organization declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. Additionally, three general and transnational model deontological texts published before the crisis are included in the analysis. The methodology applied includes a content analysis based on four categories corresponding to the fundamental pillars of most of the deontological codes: truth, freedom, responsibility, and justice. Furthermore, the paper determines the most common ethical guidelines and criteria present in all of the analyzed texts, and with the goal of helping information and journalistic professionals, these guidelines are used as a reference point to outline recommendations for responsible coverage of the Covid-19 crisis.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alexander, Jeffrey C.; Breese, Elisabeth-Butler; Luengo, Marí­a (eds.) (2016). The crisis of journalism reconsidered. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 978 1 107 08525 1

Almiron, Núria (2009). "Grupos privados propietarios de medios de comunicación en España: principales datos estructurales y financieros". Communication & society, v. 22, n. 1, pp. 243-263. https://hdl.handle.net/10171/8622

Alsius, Salvador (ed.) (2010). The ethical values of journalists: field research among media professionals in Catalonia. Barcelona: Lexikon. ISBN: 978 84 393 8346 8

Andreu-Sánchez, Celia; Martí­n-Pascual, Miguel-Ángel (2020). "Fake images of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in the communication of information at the beginning of the first Covid-19 pandemic". El profesional de la información, v. 29, n. 3, e290309. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.may.09

Auman, Ann; Stos, Susan; Burch, Elizabeth (2020). "Ethics without borders in a digital age". Journalism & mass communication educator, v. 75, n. 1, pp. 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077695820901941

Aznar, Hugo (2005). í‰tica de la comunicación y nuevos retos sociales: códigos y recomendaciones para los medios. Barcelona: Paidós. ISBN 84 493 1685 5

Bardoel, Jo L.; D´Haenens, Lee (2004). "Media responsibility and accountability: New conceptualizations and practices". Communications, v. 29, n. 1, pp. 5- 25. https://doi.org/10.1515/comm.2004.007

Bertrand, Claude-Jean (ed.) (2018). Media ethics and accountability systems. New York: Routledge. ISBN: 1 56000 420 7

Biernacki, Patrick; Waldorf, Dan (1981). "Snowball sampling: Problems and techniques of chain referral sampling". Sociological methods & research, v. 10, n. 2, pp. 141-163. https://doi.org/10.1177/004912418101000205

Brennen, J. Scott; Simon, Felix; Howard, Philip N.; Nielsen, Rasmus-Kleis (2020). Types, sources, and claims of Covid-19 misinformation. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/types-sources-and-claims-covid-19-misinformation

Brickman-Bhutta, Christine (2012). "Not by the book: Facebook as a sampling frame". Sociological methods & research, v. 41, n. 1, pp. 57-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124112440795

Bryman, Alan (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978 0 199689453

Casero-Ripollés, Andreu (2010). "Prensa en internet: nuevos modelos de negocio en el escenario de la convergencia". El profesional de la información, v. 19, n. 6, pp. 595-601. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2010.nov05

Casero-Ripollés, Andreu (2020). "Impact of Covid-19 on the media system. Communicative and democratic consequences of news consumption during the outbreak". El profesional de la información, v. 29, n. 2, e290223. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.mar.23

Christians, Clifford; Nordenstreng, Kaarle (2004). "Social responsibility worldwide". Journal of mass media ethics, v. 19, n. 1, pp. 3-28. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327728jmme1901_2

Cooper, Tom (1990). "Comparative international media ethics". Journal of mass media ethics, v. 5, n. 1, pp. 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327728jmme0501_1

Duncan, Sallyanne (2019). "The ethics". In: Healey, Jo. Trauma reporting: A journalist´s guide to covering sensitive stories. New York: Routledge, pp. 186-198. ISBN: 978 1 138 48 209 8

Evers, Huub (2012). "The news ombudsman: Lightning rod or watchdog?". Central European journal of communication, v. 5, n. 2, pp. 224-242. https://cejc.ptks.pl/Volume-5-No-2-9-Fall-2012/The-news-ombudsman-Lightning-rod-or-watchdog

Fengler, Susanne (2019). "Accountability in journalism". In: Vos, Tim; Hanusch, Folker (eds.). The international encyclopedia of journalism studies. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 1-8. ISBN: 978 1 118841679 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118841570.iejs0078

Fengler, Susanne; Eberwein, Tobias; Alsius, Salvador; Baisnée, Olivier; Bichler, Klaus; Dobek-Ostrowska, Boguslawa; Evers, Huub; Glowacki, Michal; Groenhart, Harmen; Harro-Loit, Halliki; Heikkilí¤, Heikki; Jempson, Mike; Karmasin, Matthias; Lauk, Epp; Lí¶nnendonker, Julia; Mauri, Marcel; Mazzoleni, Gianpietro; Pies, Judith; Porlezza, Colin; Powell, Wayne; Radu, Raluca; Rodrí­guez-Martí­nez, Ruth; Russ-Mohl, Stephan; Schneider-Mombaur, Laura; Splendore, Sergio; Ví¤liverronen, Jari; Vera-Zambrano, Sandra (2015). "How effective is media self-regulation? Results from a comparative survey of European journalists". European journal of communication, v. 30, n. 3, pp. 249-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323114561009

Fengler, Susanne; Eberwein, Tobias; Mazzoleni, Gianpetro; Porlezza, Colin; Russ-Mohl, Stephan (2014). Journalists and media accountability. An international study of news people in the digital age. New York: Peter Lang. ISBN: 978 1 433122811

Figueras-Maz, Mí²nica; Mauri-Rí­os, Marcel; Alsius, Salvador; Salgado-De-Dios, Francesc (2012). "La precariedad te hace dócil: Problemas que afectan a la profesión periodí­stica". El profesional de la información, v. 21, n. 1, pp. 70-75. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2012.ene.09

González, Francisca-Greene; Lecaros, Marí­a-José (2020). "The concept of self-regulation and the ethics council of the media federation of Chile". Journal of information, communication and ethics in society. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-11-2019-0127

Goodman, Leo A. (1961). "Snowball sampling". Annals of mathematical statistics, v. 32, n. 1, pp. 148-170. https://doi.org/10.1214/aoms/1177705148

Hanitzsch, Thomas; Van-Dalen, Arjen; Steindl, Nina (2018). "Caught in the nexus: A comparative and longitudinal analysis of public trust in the press". The international journal of press/politics, v. 23, n. 1, pp. 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161217740695

Herrscher, Roberto (2002). "A universal code of journalism ethics: Problems, limitations, and proposals". Journal of mass media ethics, v. 17, n. 4, pp. 277-289. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327728JMME1704_03

Himelboim, Itai; Limor, Yehiel (2008). "Media perception of freedom of the press: A comparative international analysis of 242 codes of ethics". Journalism, v. 9, n. 3, pp. 235-265. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884907089007

Maier, Scott R. (2014). "Foreword". In: Fengler, Susanne; Eberwein, Tobias; Mazzoleni, Gianpetro; Porlezza, Colin; Russ-Mohl, Stephan (2014). Journalists and media accountability. An international study of news people in the digital age. New York: Peter Lang, pp. 1-6. ISBN: 978 1 433122811.

Masip, Pere; Aran-Ramspott, Sue; Ruiz-Caballero, Carlos; Suau, Jaume; Almenar, Ester; Puertas-Graell, David (2020). "Consumo informativo y cobertura mediática durante el confinamiento por el Covid-19: sobreinformación, sesgo ideológico y sensacionalismo". El profesional de la información, v. 29, n. 3, e290312. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.may.12

Mauri-Rí­os, Marcel; Marcos-Garcí­a, Silvia; Zuberogoitia-Espilla, Aitor (2020). "Analysis of professional perceptions relating to the effectiveness of codes of ethics for journalists in Spain". Journal of information, communication and ethics in society, v. 18, n. 4, pp. 511-528. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-11-2019-0123

OMS (2020). Rolling updates on coronavirus disease (Covid-19), February 2. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200202-sitrep-13-ncov-v3.pdf

Pérez-Dasilva, Jesús-Ángel; Meso-Ayerdi, Koldobika; Mendiguren-Galdospí­n, Terese (2020). "Fake news y coronavirus: detección de los principales actores y tendencias a través del análisis de las conversaciones en Twitter". El profesional de la información, v. 29, n. 3, e290308. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.may.08

Pritchard, David-Hemmings (ed.) (2000). Holding the media accountable: Citizens, ethics, and the law. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN: 978 0 253213570

Pulido, Cristina M.; Villarejo-Carballido, Beatriz; Redondo-Sama, Gisela; Gómez, Aitor (2020). "Covid-19 infodemic: More retweets for science-based information on coronavirus than for false information". International sociology, v. 35, n. 4, pp. 377-392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580920914755

Ramon-Vegas, Xavier; Mauri-Rí­os, Marcel; Alcalá-Anguiano, Fabiola (2016). "Transparencia informativa, autorregulación y participación del público: Mural.com, Rue89.com y TexasTribune.org". Comunicación y sociedad, n. 25, pp. 101-125. https://doi.org/10.32870/cys.v0i25.4423

Ramon-Vegas, Xavier; Mauri-Rí­os, Marcel; Dí­az-Campo, Jesús (2020). "Instrumentos de rendición de cuentas impulsados por los medios de comunicación: percepción de los periodistas y ciudadanos españoles". Revista de comunicación, v. 19, n. 1, pp. 221-241. https://doi.org/10.26441/RC19.1-2020-A13

Real-Rodrí­guez, Elena (2018). "La profesión periodí­stica ante sus retos éticos: Autorregulación profesional y comunicativa frente a regulación. La situación en España". Estudios sobre el mensaje periodí­stico, v. 24, n. 1, pp. 341-360. https://doi.org/10.5209/ESMP.59954

Reig, Ramón (2015). Crisis del sistema, crisis del periodismo. Barcelona: Gedisa. ISBN: 978 84 9784 911 1

Ricketson, Matthew; Dodd, Andrew; Zion, Lawire; Winarnita, Monika (2020). "´Like being shot in the face´ or "˜I´m glad I´m out´: Journalists´ experiences of job loss in the Australian media industry 2012-2014". Journalism studies, v. 21, n. 1, pp. 54-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1627899

Ruiz-Olabuénaga, José-Ignacio; Aristegui, Iratxe; Melgosa, Leire (1998). Cómo elaborar un proyecto de investigación social. Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto. ISBN: 978 84 74855470

Salaverrí­a, Ramón; Buslón, Nataly; López-Pan, Fernando; León, Bienvenido; López-Goñi, Ignacio; Erviti, Marí­a-Carmen (2020). "Desinformación en tiempos de pandemia: tipologí­a de los bulos sobre la Covid-19". El profesional de la información, v. 29, n. 3, e290315. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.may.15

Sánchez-Duarte, José-Manuel; Magallón-Rosa, Raúl (2020). "Infodemia y Covid-19. Evolución y viralización de informaciones falsas en España". Revista española de comunicación en salud, n. S1, pp. 31-41. https://doi.org/10.20318/recs.2020.5417

Sherwood, Merryn; O´Donnell, Penny (2018). "Once a journalist, always a journalist? Industry restructure, job loss and professional identity". Journalism studies, v. 19, n. 7, pp. 1021-1038. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2016.1249007

Wilkins, Lee; Christians, Clifford (eds.) (2020). The routledge handbook of mass media ethics. New York: Routledge. ISBN: 978 1 138 68132 3

Published

2020-12-24

How to Cite

Mauri-Rí­os, M., Ramon-Vegas, X., & Rodrí­guez-Martí­nez, R. (2020). Media coverage of the Covid-19 crisis: recommendations and proposals for self-regulation. Profesional De La información, 29(6). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.nov.22

Issue

Section

Artí­culos de investigación Covid-19 / Covid-19 research articles