THURSDAY 16 APRIL


Thank you for signing up to our webinar. We hope you enjoyed Rasmus Nielsen's presentation on what sources of news and information people are relying on to understand the coronavirus pandemic. If you weren't able to join us (or if you want a quick recap), here's a summary of our conversation, the research it's based on and a few resources you may find helpful in the months ahead.

🏡 We are planning another webinar for next Thursday. We'll announce the details soon. 

OUR WEBINAR

Navigating the 'infodemic': Key findings from our new report on how people access news about coronavirus

The report. Our webinar was based on a report published this week looking at news consumption trends across six countries to see how people are keeping informed about coronavirus. It was based on a survey which asked over 8,000 people in the US, the UK, Germany, South Korea, Spain and Argentina questions about their recent news habits, preferred sources of information, trust in different institutions as well as their factual understanding of the epidemic.

Key findings.

  • News use is up in all six countries, with most using social media, search engines, video sites and messaging applications.
  • People with lower levels of formal education are much less likely to use news organisations for news about coronavirus; instead they rely more on social media and messaging applications.
  • Young people in Argentina, South Korea, Spain, and the US are much more likely to rely on social media. In Germany, the UK, and the US, they rely more on messaging applications.
  • A majority rate news organisations as relatively trustworthy. Apart from in Spain and the United States most people rate their national government as trustworthy.
  • For every source, platform and country, a minority say they have come across a lot or a great deal of false or misleading information around coronavirus.
  • Most people in each country say that the news media have helped them understand the crisis. Around a third say the news media have exaggerated the pandemic.
  • In all countries apart from Argentina and Spain, use of news organisations as an information source is related to a statistically significant increase in knowledge about coronavirus.

🖥 Read the web version or PDF of the report
🎥 Watch the webinar
📁 See the slides

The report was published as part of the Misinformation, Science and the Media project between the Reuters Institute, the Oxford Internet Institute and the Oxford Martin School. It was written by Rasmus Nielsen, Richard Fletcher, Nic Newman, Scott Brennen and Philip Howard.

COVID–19 AND JOURNALISM

Suggested reading and resources on the pandemic

Suggested reading. The Reuters Institute has published a few pieces that can help you navigate the current pandemic and understand the impact it's having on our industry and on misinformation worldwide. Here are the links:

🧟‍♂️ Types, sources, and claims of COVID–19 misinformation. | J. Scott Brennen, Felix Simon, Philip N. Howard and Rasmus Nielsen 

🦠Advice from public health experts Peter Drobac and Trudie Lang on how journalists can help stop the spread of the outbreak. | By Eduardo Suárez

💰What the pandemic may mean for the business of news. | By Rasmus Nielsen


🤥 How fact-checkers are fighting COVID–19 misinformation worldwide. | By Eduardo Suárez   

🧶A thread with many examples of great journalism on the pandemic. | From our Twitter account


Useful resources. Many institutions are creating guides and resources to help journalists cover this all-consuming story. Here are links to the best ones we've found: 

  • The Committee to Protect Journalists has put together this safety advisory and has translated it into many languages. | CPJ
  • A list of resources to help local newsrooms cover the coronavirus pandemic and adapt to remote work. | Lenfest Institute
  • The International Press Institute has launched a website to track the attacks on press freedom worldwide in the age of COVID–19. | IPI
  • WAN-IFRA is gathering pieces on how to manage a newsroom during the outbreak. | WAN-IFRA
  • The ICFJ has launched a forum to connect journalists with some of the world’s top health practitioners and newsroom leaders. | ICFJ  
  • The European Journalism Observatory is exploring how news brands are covering the pandemic in dozens of countries. | EJO

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Today's email was written by Eduardo Suárez and Matthew Leake.  

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