Perspectives on Mass Media and Governmental Measures during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic in a Romanian Sample of Healthcare Practitioners

Abstract

Objective: Along with the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the globe, a proliferation of mass media information exposed the population to an infodemic with various implications documented worldwide. The present study analyzed Romanian healthcare practitioners’ (HCPs) appraisal of COVID-19 mass media information and governmental measures throughout 2020, ranking vaccination priorities and moral values. Methods: 97 HCP completed a cross-sectional survey with items referring to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Results: Findings were consistent with other studies, indicating an overall negative appraisal of mass media information, which predicted anxiety and relaxation difficulties. Unlike other studies, our sample reported a moderate level of satisfaction with official measures in 2020, which was not related to their view on mass media information. The ranking of population categories in the vaccination order showed similarities with the governmental vaccination program in 2021. Despite placing freedom third after health and love in the hierarchy of values, HCPs showed a high tendency of limiting individual liberty for the common good. Conclusions: Results showed a dissociation between the overall negative appraisal of mass media information and the satisfaction with governmental measures in 2020. Romanian HCPs shared a secular perspective on moral values and assumed an authoritarian position.

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“…In Romania, especially during the lockdown period, there was no clear strategy for sustainable communication at the national level with clear procedures, the communication being often made by unprepared people [63]. Information through the media was not completely correct and useful but rather "exaggerated, confusing, false", leading to anxiety and tension [64]. Post lockdown, communication has improved [63], the Romanian Ministry of Health also implementing a free telephone line for psycho-emotional support for people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic [65].…”