Journalists for several weeks have been covering the covid-19 story strongly, but there have also been a lot of half-truths and rumours spreading causing uncertainty.
Writing on Journalists Resource, journalist Denise-Marie Ordway provides five tips on covering covid-19 accurately, after speaking to Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health's Bill Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology, and Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology. The pair released a paper “How to Report on the COVID-19 Outbreak Responsibly”.
A key piece of advice was to pick experts based on who are authorities on the topic. Even a Nobel Prize winning scientist could be the wrong interviewee.
“Audiences rely on news reports to make decisions about their health and the health of loved ones. Take the time to track down researchers with knowledge and experience on the topic," it reads.
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
