Juliana Colant

jc079419@ohio.edu

The Impact of Misinformation during COVID-19 

The unsteady state of the world made people vulnerable, and in some ways, news outlets took advantage of that. 

It is no question that COVID-19 impacted people's daily lives. It brought a time of stress, worry and anxiety upon everyone in different ways. A lot was left unknown. People were unsure of how to protect themselves or what would happen if they tested positive for COVID-19. 

The pandemic was new uncharted territory the world was forced to face together. People relied heavily on news outlets to point them in the right direction. The news would say what the latest research of COVID-19 revealed and what people should expect next. 

The unsteady state of the world made people vulnerable, and in some ways, news outlets took advantage of that. 

Misinformation during COVID-19 had a significant impact on people's mental health during a time when it was already fragile. Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics analyzed five types of misinformation in the media coverage of coronavirus. 

The first type is seeking/suggesting one method as the end-all-be-all for ending the pandemic. Whether it was social distancing, vaccines or mask mandates, news outlets would suggest just one method would end the pandemic. This assumption, in turn, oversimplified the complex problem at hand and downplayed its severity to the public. 

The second type was reporters focusing heavily on the negative statistics. Instead of hearing about survivors, reporters often emphasized the death rates. A negative focus killed the public's sense of hope and instills a mindset that the virus is all-encompassing and never-ending. 

The third type is not accurately reporting all opinions of an economic shutdown. News outlets would paint those opposed to the economic shutdown as denying the pandemic, which is not valid. Some were in denial of the pandemic, but others were worried about the financial impact on businesses. 

The fourth type is not giving total accounts of officials' claims. News outlets in some cases take accounts of senators' questions and concerns out of context or exaggerate them. 

The fifth and final type is not lifting the voices of affected communities. News outlets would quote elected officials on behalf of communities in which they may not be connected too. The result is community's true stories are left ignored and unheard. 

The graphic below is courtesy of RAND Corporation. It shows visually how the public's trust has decreased in the CDC during the pandemic. Trust in the CDC decreased because of information contradicting with news outlets. 

News outlets did not realize the negative impact misinformation had on the public. It caused confusion on what was real news and how to go forward in the pandemic. They cultivated a stressful and non-reassuring environment during a time when trust was needed most.