Psychological Insights on the Role and Impact of the Media During the Pandemic Lessons from COVID-19 Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic Series

This volume places the spotlight on the role different media and communications systems played in informing the public about the pandemic, shaping their views about what was happening and contributing to behavioural compliances with pandemic-related restrictions.

Throughout the pandemic, media coverage has played an important role in drawing attention to specific messages, influencing public risk perceptions and fear responses. Mainstream media and other electronic communication systems such as Facebook and WhatsApp have been pivotal in getting pandemic information out to the public, thereby influencing their beliefs, attitudes and behaviour and engaging them generally in the pandemic as stakeholders. In this timely volume, author Barrie Gunter considers how people reacted to this coverage and its contribution to their understanding of what was going on, including the influence of fake news and misinformation on public beliefs about the pandemic, from anti-lockdown protests to the "anti-vaxx" movement. In addition, looking at how government messaging was not always consistent or clear and how different authorities were found not always to be in harmony or compliance with the messages they put out, Gunter examines the harm done by presenting different publics with ambiguous or conflicting narratives.

Drawing out important communications strategy lessons to be learned for the future, this is essential reading for students and researchers in psychology, public health and medical sciences and for policymakers who assess government strategies, responses and performance.

Chapter 1: Pandemic, Media and the Public

Chapter 2: News Media and Quality of COVID News

Chapter 3: Online Chatter about COVID-19

Chapter 4: Public Confidence in News and Journalism

Chapter 5: News Media and Impact on Public Understanding

Chapter 6: The Internet and Public Perceptions of the Pandemic

Chapter 7: Misleading Pandemic Information and the Public

Chapter 8: Media, Risk Perceptions and Fear

Chapter 9: Media and Behavioural Compliance

Chapter 10: Social Media, Behavioural Compliance and Other Outcomes

Chapter 11: Pandemic, Media and Ageism

Chapter 12: The Pandemic, the Media and Mental Health

Chapter 13: Importance of the Media during a Pandemic

Barrie Gunter is an Emeritus Professor in Media at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. A psychologist by training, he has published more than 80 books on a range of media, marketing, business, leisure and psychology topics.