Do We Need Media Guidelines When Reporting on Panic Buying? An Analysis of the Content of News Reports During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its attendant supply chain disruptions and restrictions on internal movement, has been associated with frequent episodes of panic buying both in its initial phase and in subsequent waves. Empirical evidence suggests that news media content and consumption are important determinants of attitudes and behavior during the pandemic, and existing research both before and during the pandemic suggests that panic buying can be influenced by both exposure to media reports and their specific content. This pilot study was conducted to assess the quality of media reports of panic buying during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, using two independent measures of news article quality. Seventy news reports of panic buying across 12 countries, covering the “second wave” of the pandemic from January 1 to December 31, 2021, were collected through an online search of media outlets using the Google News aggregator. These reports were analyzed in terms of the content of their reporting, based on existing research of the factors driving panic buying during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each report was scored for quality using two different systems: one based on an existing WHO guideline, and one based on the work of a research group which has published extensive work related to panic buying during this pandemic. It was observed that a significant number of reports contained elements that were likely to amplify, rather than attenuate, panic buying behavior, and that the quality of news reports was generally poor regardless of pandemic severity, cultural values, or freedom of the press. On the basis of this evidence, suggestions are offered to improve the media reporting of panic buying and minimize the risk of fear contagion and imitation.

COVID-19 Fear and Anxiety among Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Cross Sectional Study

“…Therefore, all news relating to the epidemiology of COVID-19, and its prevention and treatment should be unambiguous and not accompanied by disturbing images. Additionally, health care providers need to advise older patients to minimize their exposure to sensational news reporting of COVID-19, which may provoke the patients’ fear and stress and reduce their well-being through diverting their attention toward health promotion programs focused on health-related behaviors such as smoking cessation, healthy eating practices, and physical exercises [ 56 , 57 , 58 ].…”

The Change of Consumer Behaviour due to Fear Factor during Covid-19 Pandemic: Malawian Shopping Perspective

“…CONTEXTUALISING THE LITERATURE OF THE STUDY In the current landscape, the global community is grappling with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic (Rajkumar, 2022). Despite the removal of pandemic-related restrictions in many countries worldwide (Ali, 2022), the enduring impact of the pandemic continues to resonate with entrepreneurs and the general populace alike (Ntontis, 2022).…”

“…The global landscape underwent profound changes following the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in 2020 (Rajkumar, 2022), with one of the most immediate and notable shifts observed in consumer behavior-specifically, alterations in the frequency of shopping visits and the quantity of goods purchased (Anderson, 2020). The abrupt onset of the COVID-19 virus also triggered instances of widespread panic buying, creating imbalances in the supply and demand of goods and posing threats to social stability (Chen et al, 2022).…”

“…This cycle not only prolongs the issue but also influences consumer fear (DiCrosta, 2021). Many authors attribute fear as a significant factor to media coverage of pandemic-related stories and risk assessments (Rajkumar, 2022; (Chen, 2022; He and Hu, 2022). While mitigating the negative impact of media can contribute to reducing fear, complete elimination is challenging (Oana, 2020).…”

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“…However, they are more likely to trust the information provided by unreliable sources and hoaxes (Sun et al, 2022;Li et al, 2021). Many authors contribute that fear is a major factor in media coverage of pandemic-related stories and risk examinations (Rajkumar, 2022;Chen et al, 2022;He and Hu, 2022). Currently, there is little evidence of how this tendency affected purchasing decisions.…”