Coronavirus Media Discourse and Current Situation (Qca for Different Responses to Combat Covid-19)

Abstract

Purpose of the study: Given the immense spread of the Coronavirus disease, it is imperative to note how the leaders and governments approach the issue and the suggestions made to protect the people and not spread panic.
 Methodology: The study incorporates scrutiny of the available online media with official statements and news outlets made by state officials and leaders. Thus, one can note the implementation of qualitative comparative analysis to determine the difference in the attitudes and approaches of various world leaders to combat the disease. 
 Main Findings: Most world leaders acknowledge the threat Coronavirus poses to humanity yet are willing to sacrifice economic development for the survival of their people. Whereas others are more inclined to disregard the seriousness of the threat despite evidence of the lethal nature of the coronavirus and its effect upon people of all ages.
 Applications of this study: The application of the study is primarily in the assessment of the position of world leaders with regards to the assessment of their leadership qualities and the success or failure of their decisions in terms of fighting the onset of the disease. When humanity overcomes coronavirus, numerous world leaders are likely to lose their job with this utilized information being the reason.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: Considering the recent outbreak of the pandemic, no-one has utilized nor compared any of the information in terms of how the world leaders and various countries are combating the disease. This study provides a comparative analysis bringing successful and openly failed decisions to the fore of the society allowing every individual to assess the scope and effort made by the state.

Media as an Influencer of Societal Behavior, Case of COVID-19

“…For example, a special section on myths has recently appeared on the WHO website, which contains the latest data on COVID-19. Thus, the organization is struggling with numerous fakes, trolls, and misinformation [24].…”

“…And in a society undergoing transformation and growth, this is almost an everyday occurrence. COVID-19 has become the trigger that has pressed on the burning points, namely the distrust of government and fear of the hysteria that is spread by the media [24].…”

Public health communication and the Covid-19: A review of the literature during the first wave

“…Several authors point out that governments have not adequately coordinated the dissemination of information, which explains why they have generated so little trust in society. Some criticize the scant information on protective measures (Hu et al, 2020;Ruiu, 2020), or the self-sufficient way in which some leaders have managed the transmission of this information, prioritizing economic development over pandemic containment (Singer, 2020). Two striking examples were Trump's promotion of hydroxychloroquine without Health Department approval (Samy; Ahmed; Kelada, 2020) and the British government's changing attitude towards the virus: first it spoke of "containing it", then of "delaying it" and finally it proposed "herd immunity" (Cowper, 2020).…”