Journalism in Times of the Pandemic a Global View

# 1 September 2020

It’s the end of the world as we know it. R.E.M.

Journalism in times of the pandemic A Global View

Issue 1 Étienne Godiard / Unsplash

This work is supported by:: From London, From São Paulo, Luciana Gurgel Eduardo Ribeiro

We see trust in the news falling in many The coronavirus countries with political polarisation a key is the biggest story factor. Rebuilding trust hilst working on this project, the song from in journalism to by restoring the value of the pop band R.E.M. started to play inside date. The biggest facts and evidence will our heads; a song that describes a dystopi- be a key part of the job Wan scenario after an earthquake. crisis in journalism to of all journalists over the In 2020, the world was not hit by an earthquake but by date. But it can also next few years. a virus; the consequence of which not even the most bring the greatest pessimistic would dream of living through. Nic Newman, Senior Six months after the World Health Organisation de- opportunities for the Research Fellow at the clared the coronavirus a pandemic, a new normal has future of journalism. Reuters Institute for the settled in. Study of Journalism at And while some sectors of the economy have started to recover, others will not recuper- Oxford University, lead ate as easily. Journalism is an example of that. author of the annual Digital News Report This inaugural issue of MediaTalks analyses the effects of Covid-19 on the media industry, looking to the future. We analysed research and interviewed professionals and academics. A team of correspondents in seven countries took a closer look at the impact within their borders. Observing what has happened can help us understand what to expect ahead. It’s not the end There is still a great deal of uncertainty. However, no-one of the world. But for The negative doubts that the pandemic accelerated changes that impact of the economic were already underway in the media industry, which led journalism it may disaster it has caused to it reacting differently to other sectors that were taken be the end of the by surprise by this crisis. will hit the news industry hard. But it is world as we know it. The pandemic has caused a decline in revenue and job losses, as well as the closure of publications and a threat also going to accelerate to press freedom. The industry also faces challenges to current business models. It has some existing trends, accelerated changes that were already starting to be implemented, such as digitalisation for example, around and the migration of advertising budgets toward online platforms, as well as increased working practices. competition for audiences on social networks. In this ever-changing scenario, those who Combined with the adapt faster often stand out. anger over issues such Times are tough but also rewarding for quality journalism. Higher levels of news con- as racial injustice and it sumption and trust were the rewards achieved by the news media, which was rec- is clear that journalism ognised as the most reliable source of information about the disease at such a crucial will need to adapt its moment in history. culture as well as its The crisis caused by Covid-19 has raised awareness of the fundamental role of quality business models. journalism, and it is our mission to help highlight, strengthen and protect this essential facet of society. With this series of publications and the MediaTalks website, we want to Charlie Beckett, raise awareness of key factors that will help and assist this vital sector. We want to pro- Founder and director of vide support and encouragement to all freelance journalists, independent outlets and Polis, the LSE’s (London media companies trying to push forward and expand the ever-growing role of quality School of Economics) journalism. journalism think-tank

Our special series Journalism in Times of the Pandemic – A Global View continues on the website mediatalks.com.br, with interviews, op-eds, researches and long read articles.

News correspondents that participated in this edition:

From Italy, From France, From Argentina, From US, From Australia, From Sweden, From Germany, Michele Oliveira Deborah Berlinck Monica Yanakiew Silvana Mautone Liz Lacerda Claudia Wallin Karina Gomes

More from the correspondents’ view in mediatalks.com.br 2 A distant threat is less critical There was a notable difference between The situation in other countries did not news consumption by each country seem as serious as in Italy. But it would as the virus approached and changed change in a matter of weeks. everyone’s routine. When Italy was the The big epicentre of the epidemic in the world in early March, 93% of Italians searched for information about the situation at % story of respondents70 least once a day and almost two out of at least were watching 38% once a day three checked for updates several times news daily a day, according to a study by the agen-

cy Edelman. several times s 32% per day In the same period, people of neigh- Covid-19 is unique and it Source: Edelman; global survey; March 6 to 10, 2020; bouring countries were much less 18 years and older; 10,000 respondents. is evolving on a daily basis, engaged than Italians, despite their causing an unprecedented proximity to one another and the free level of disruption and harm movement of travellers between them. Not yet affected by restrictions and so- to people’s lives and the cial distancing measures, only 56% of % spending 67 significantly global economy. This war is French and 50% of German popula- spending more 38% time engaging more time still raging and it combines tions were keeping as close an eye on with news Source: GlobalWebIndex; global survey; March 16 to all of the elements of a Covid-19 updates as the Italians. 20, 2020; 16-64 years. huge, devastating news story with increased relevance to the general public. For this reason, interest in the Then the global issue blew up subject matter has piqued Although the social and economic con- This can be explained by the fact that this and quality journalism has sequences of the pandemic have wors- moment in history was when the seri- observed an increase in ened over the months – with signs of ousness of the situation became clear to trust from readers and soci- the resurgence of the disease in some all and unprecedented social distancing countries – several nations experienced measures were taken, which confirmed ety as a whole. their peak in Covid-19 media coverage the pandemic as the dominating news by mid- to late-March. story. This was the peak of the panic, reflected by the peak of the news coverage.

Canada: From The biggest story of all time December to March, Germany: In March, TV access to online news ratings rose from 67% increased by 19% and to 76%, according to page views by 22%, Deloitte. The use of according to social media increased Comscore. from 40% to 53%, according to Statista.

Brazil: 25% growth of TV Globo’s morning audience. Folha de United States: International S.Paulo recorded travel restrictions, France: More than 1 million 73.8 million unique suspension of NBA games references to Covid-19 visitors in April. and Tom Hank’s Covid-19 between March and May. diagnosis led traffic to Web traffic increased by explode. On March 12, the 50%. The coverage beat number of page views was that of the presidential 44% higher than in the election and of the yellow Argentina: 50% previous week, according to vest protests. Access to traffic increase in parse.ly. President Trump France Médias Monde La Nacion and briefings exceeded 12 million digital channels tripled. Infobae websites. viewers, according to the TV ratings rose Nielsen Institute. 10% between January and April. 3 BBC website scores record traffic The BBC is an example of the power of quality journalism. The British public service network’s website witnessed its highest levels of online traffic in Number of daily history the week right after the users initially doubles before falling back local lockdown begun, with more than 70 million unique

local users. The daily average Government Boris Johnson announces Þrst admitted shielding measures to hospital of 12.5 million unique visitors Number of daily UK unique users doubled during lockdown to reach peaks of 30 million.

Source: SourceDigital: Digital News NewsReport Report 2020, 2020, Reuters Reuters Institute Institute for for the the Study Study of Journalism, of Journalism, University University of Oxford. of Oxford.

News consumption increases as the situation becomes more serious The degree of uncertainty and serious- ness of the pandemic in each country determined the volume and frequency of media consumption, with more and more people looking for reliable sources to obtain information. In the case of online outlets, the frequent search for new information and updated numbers on the disease led to a decline on time spent per session in March by 25% compared to January, while traffic rose by 80% in the same period, according to a study by ContentSquare.

According to an Edelman survey, the three countries whose populations were most engaged with news about Source: Statista; Edelman global survey; March 6 to 10, 2020; 18 years and older; 10,000 respondents. the disease in March were also the three Source: Statista, Edelman global survey, March 6 to 10, 2020; 18 years and older; 10,000 respondents. countries most affected by Covid-19 af- at least 50% of the inhabitants of each ter China. Especially Italy, which had country were accessing news about the more than 10,000 cases at that point. In late June, a Reuters pandemic, the rate of the most con- Institute for the Study South Korea followed next (with more cerned people seeking updates more of Journalism survey than 7,500 cases and the largest test- frequently – except for South Africa – found that 25% of ing programme in the world at that remained below 26%, less than half time) and Japan (which had declared of countries where the situation was women and 18% of state of emergency a week earlier, clos- worse. men in the UK were ing schools and also living through the avoiding news about the The scenario would change as the drama of the Diamond Princess ship pandemic. This news number of infected rose. According to docked at the port of Yokohama, with fatigue happened even Ofcom (the British telecom’s regulator), more than 700 passengers sick). 99% of Britons at the end of March de- though Covid-19 cases Other countries researched by Edel- clared they were accessing news about and deaths continued to man had already registered their first the coronavirus pandemic at least once increase, unless new facts cases, but none of them counted more a day. emerged and triggered than 33 deaths at that time. Although again the sentiment of “lack of control”, such as a second wave. 4 News slowdown as a sense of control increases On the whole, this has been a good and important period for in a “fatigue mode” journalism. We have seen quality The behaviour of media coverage of a crisis with dramatic conse- reporting almost everywhere. We in the months after the outbreak quences, the audience was avoid- have also seen the return of public of the pandemic followed a similar ing news on the pandemic even interest journalism to the headlines. pattern in many countries, decreas- though the situation was far from ing even before the situation was resolved, which posed a challenge This opens the door to more under control. This reinforced one to journalists as to how to keep citi- serious considerations: to protect of the threats to the media industry, zens engaged and informed about journalism and support public identified by many surveys prior to safety measures. interest journalism in the future. Covid-19: news fatigue. In the midst Aidan White, founder of the Ethical Journalism Network, interviewed by European Journalism Observatory

A drama in three acts Mar 16 Lockdown Germany Apr 20 May 11 End of Lockdown Germany End of Lockdown France

Feb 21 Virus spots in Italy (Lombardia and Veneto)

Mar 24 May 11 Lockdown UK End of Lockdown Spain Mar 17 May 3 Lockdown France End of Lockdown Italy Mar 14 Lockdown Spain Mar 9 Lockdown Italy Feb 3-9 Total number of visits to news sites and apps (to the base 100) Total Mar 2-8 Apr 6–12 May 4-10 Jan 20-26 Feb 10-16 Mar 9 -15 Feb 17-23 Jan 13-19 Apr 20-26 Apr 13-19 May 25-31 Mar 16-22 May 11-17 May 18-24 Mar 23-29 13-19 jan Mar 30 - Apr 5 Feb 24 -Mar 1 Jan 27 - Feb 2 Apr 27 - May 3 Italy UK France Germany Spain

The Fear The Caution The Fatigue The rise of news searches prior to The lockdown brings a sense of The end of lockdown is understood lockdown reflects the feeling of a control. Insecurity decreases but to suggest the worst has passed. lack of control over the situation; caution continues. The level of The feeling is reinforced by ease of a crisis that no-one could predict news searches plateaus at social isolation in other countries. when or how it would end. Fear around 60% beyond the average This also affects the United and insecurity led people to level, with people trapped at home Kingdom, where the lockdown search for more and more news. following the developments. continued at that time.”CoronavirusA news avoidance” starts.

Source: AGCOM - Autoritá per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni, data from ComScore Custom Reporting. .

5 From Italy, Michele Oliveira

Almost The pandemic everything leaves its digital mark happened in The crisis of the new coronavirus helped to accelerate structural changes toward Italy for the a more digital media environment. Print first time journalism moved towards more of an hen Covid-19 hit Italy, the world started to understand the online presence. The limitations of print Wdestructive power of the virus. Abstract statistics from China media eventually educated more peo- and images of hospitals built in ten days were left behind. From Italy, ple on how to consume news from re- the world began to see scenes of trucks with coffins, nurses collap- liable sources via the internet. And also sing and cities deserted. Almost everything happened here for the on how to find their first time. favourite sources in other medium than Online traffic +50% One of the images that went viral was that of a man browsing paper. Internet usage was up through the pages of L’Eco di Bergamo newspaper, which highligh- 50% in some parts of the ted the fact that the obituaries went from occupying a page and a With a significant world in March half in February to 10 pages in March. The scale of the drama was part of the world printed on the paper. population prevent- Source: World Economic. Forum. As soon as the first local case was confirmed, Italian journalism ed from leaving went into ‘breaking news’ mode. It was all “in diretta” (live) and “ul- home, internet traffic exploded. Thanks tim’ora” (urgent). TV was the protagonist, with its bulletins counting to the internet, people were able to victims and infected people, along with the announcement of new continue to shop, work, study, have fun measures and statements from the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte – and interact with friends and relatives. some in the middle of the night. But not everyone was prepared for this. Virologists became The world was divided into groups: The pandemic celebrities. Journalists be- those who could and those who could came part of the family. not afford internet access – and the top changed the way When a reporter disappe- of the pyramid was reserved for the Italians consume ared from the news bulle- privileged with increased bandwidth. news tins for a few days, I tried To minimise the problem, content pro- to figure out whether she viders (including news organisations) – Silvia Balducci – had been infected, such was the bond created. The reduced the resolution of their images pandemic has changed the way Italians consume news, accelerating to meet the demand. the incorporation of new audiences for digital journalism. However, Those who managed to pay for a VPN this does not mean that the news industry lives in comfortable times. (Virtual Private Network) were able to Italians view journalism with suspicion. According to the Reuters enjoy geo-restricted content from other Institute, only 29% of Italians trust the news, leaving the country in countries, such as news and entertain- 30th place out of 40 nations. One reason is the connection between ment – including films from geograph- media groups with political parties, politicians and the private sector. ically-locked websites. In Italy, this de- Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi – currently a member of the mand almost tripled during quarantine European Parliament – controls the Mediaset group, whose channels and more than doubled in the United compete for audiences with the state-owned RAI channels, which, States in March. Employees of global conversely, is also susceptible to the government’s and opposition’s companies also took advantage of this interests. feature to connect to corporate net- The likelihood of the media industry surviving this economic crisis works in other countries. – through a move to digital platforms – will increase if Italian journalism is able to convince society that it is a fundamental ally during difficult times, just as it was during the first phase of the pandemic.

6 Watching the news was the number one activity at home during the pandemic Taking into consideration all Brazil was one of the Top 3 The entertainment TV was the second most Use of social networks increased, mainly of the opportunities available consumers of news. Online champion was no used news source during for relationship purposes. They were the as the main news source. match for the news the pandemic third most used Covid-19 news source to people when it comes to in- teracting ‘virtually’ during the extra free time at home, what did they actually do? Global- WebIndex asked this question in March, in 13 countries. The News Shows/films TV news Messaging Social Computer / Books / 1 coverage 2 on streaming 3 coverage 4 apps 5 media 6 video games 7 audiobooks answer: they consumed more news. Journalism proved to Worldwide Italy Spain France Germany China United States United Kingdom Singapore Australia Brazil Japan Philippines South Africa be relevant and necessary in view of all the other options available.

Radio 9 Magazines 10 Newspapers Creating / Podcasts 8 11 uploading videos 12

Radio's agility ensured Print titles lost space to the online world and were Without the commute growth, but less than leading hampered by fear of contamination via paper, especially advantage, podcasts lost news sources from older audiences audience during lockdown

Source:Source: Statista; Statista; GlobalWebIndex GlobalWebIndex worldwide worldwide survey; survey; March March 16 16 to to 20, 20; 2020; 16-64 16-64 years. years.

TV was the medium that most benefitted by increase in audience Two sets of research were conducted sumption of news by the Brits. In recent by the Reuters Institute in six coun- months, the proportion of the UK pop- tries: United States, United Kingdom, ulation that avoids the news is between Germany, Spain, South Korea and 20 and 25%. The proportion of the popu-

Argentina. The research (which was Source: Digital News Report 2020, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. lation that thought Covid-19 was the sin- January-April, 2020; Base: USA, UK, Germany, Spain, South Korea and Argentina. conducted in January and April, be- Source: Digital News Report 2020; Reuters Insti- gle most important issue facing the UK tute for the Study of Journalism; University of Ox- fore and after the emergence of the ford. January-April, 2020; Base: USA, UK, Germa- fell from 72% at the end of April to 51% pandemic) confirmed a dramatic in- ny, Spain, South Korea and Argentina. in mid-July. This observation is reflected crease in news consumption; a phe- in the lower consumption of news about from Germany, where it regained nomenon that the Institute titled the disease. The biggest drop was in so- leadership over online channels. “news rally”. During that time, audi- cial media. Print media, albeit with the ences increased across almost all The use of social media as a source of slightest drop, continued to fall, acceler- evaluated sources. information grew by 5% during this pe- ating the potential of a shift to an all-dig- riod, while radio saw an increase of 2%. ital future, which the Reuters Institute Online channels grew by 2%. Howev- Print media was the exception; con- antecipates. er, the highlight was TV, which grew sumption fell 2% by 5% and was the only source to due to difficulties in gain audience in all six countries. An Consumption of news production and dis- about Covid-19 in the UK explanation to this is the penetration tribution. of state broadcasters, such as the BBC, Online with their evening news bulletins reg- Since April, the Re- TV istering a 30% increase in audience in uters Institute car- Radio Social March. According to Ofcom (the UK’s ried out ten surveys Media communications regulator), eight out in the UK, at two- Print of 10 Britons chose the BBC as their week intervals, to 10-14 Apr 24-28 Apr 7-13 May 21-27 May 4-10 Jun 18-24 Jun 2-8 Jul 16-22 Jul 30 Jul-5 Aug 13-19 Aug monitor the impact Source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford; YouGov; Base: UK. main source of information during the Source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. lockdown. The best news for TV came of the crisis on con-

7 Connection and credibility In most countries, major news organi- It was the leading source in seven of sations were discovered to be the most them. Conversely, Italians were en- used source for reliable information on gaged the most with national govern- During the the pandemic, as shown in the result ment sources, and South Africans (72%) of a survey carried out by Edelman in and Brazilians (64%) said that they con- , March. News organisations were indi- sumed most of their information from crisis cated to be the most reliable Covid-19 social media. The lift of paywall by news information source by more than 50% organisations was a successful move. It trust in of respondents in all of the countries helped to gain audience and trust, as surveyed (with the biggest scores in Ja- well as built an emotional connection the news pan and South Korea). to the companies in question.

media Total UK Brazil Japan Canada Italy South Korea Germany France South Africa US After the novel coronavirus caused more than 900,000 fatalities worldwide, the pandemic has rocked even the most economically stable countries, and there is very little to celebrate. However, quality journalism has been given a fair reward: it was recognised as a trusted source of Source:Source: Statista; Statista; Edelman Edelman global global survey; survey; MarchMarch 66 toto 10,10, 2020; 18 yearsyears andand older;older; 10,000 10,000 respondents.respondents. news by several surveys when reliable information became a matter of life and death. Trust in news organisations was twice as high as digital platforms The research carried out by the Reuters forms (such as Facebook and Twitter, Institute in April found that trust in news or YouTube and even messaging apps organisations on the subject of Covid-19 like WhatsApp). Search engines (such was much higher than other sources. as Google) had the higgest level of trust among these digital sources. It stood at double of that for social plat- Mistrust of news related to the disease found on digital platforms – especially social media and messaging apps – was twice more than of those received from

Trust news organisations and search engines.

Don’t trust

2 out of 3 respondents (65%) said that media News Search Video Social Messaging has helped them Organisations Engines Sites Media Apps understand what to do during the pandemic Source: Digital News Report 2020, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. April 2020 survey Source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Source: Digital News Report 2020; Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; University of Oxford. University of Oxford; April,2020; Base: USA, UK, Germany, April, 2020; Base: inUSA, six countriesUK, Germany, (USA, Spain,UK, Germany, South KoreaSpain, andSouth Argentina. Korea and Argentina). Spain, South Korea and Argentina; 8.522 respondents. 8 The value of the quality journalism at the peak of the crisis was also con- Trust in Traditional Media at All-time High in May firmed by the Edelman Trust Barome- 69 +7% ter. News media gained seven points as 65 63 63 May 2020 a side-effect of the new coronavirus on 62 62 60 the trust score of the traditional media 58 57 57 Jan 2020 outlets. It is the highest level achieved during any studies researched by the communications agency. The recovery Source: Edelman Trust Barometer. took only four months; in January, it had reached its worse evaluation over the past three years. After the peak, trust in journalism remains higher than before the crisis Adults who get most of their updates on the coronavirus from major news organizations Similarly to what happened with audi- the ‘trust gap’ between news media and social media worldwide as of March 2020 ence figures, the peak of trust reached and digital platforms.” by the news media has been decreas- Although the decline in trust is a chal- ing in the countries that have passed lenge for the professionals and the in- the peak of the pandemic. dustry, the crisis has persuaded the Research conducted by the Reu- public to pay attention to the impor- ters Institute in the United Kingdom tance of news media. When we look shows that the British population’s beyond trust in COVID-19 news specif- trust in news about the coronavirus ically, the research by the Reuters In- has declined from 57% in April to 45% stitute confirms that, in August, 34% of in August. The good news is that most people in the UK said they trust most of of this decline took place from April the news from the news media most of to May, and the levels have remained the time – and 52% declared they trust stable since then. This level of trust is the news they consume. This is a residu- higher than for search engines (19%), al gain in the trust created by the crisis.

Source: Statista; Edelman global survey; March 6 to 10, social media (6%), video sites (5%) and At the beginning of the year, before the 2020; 18 years and older, 10,000 respondents. messaging applications (5%). The re- crisis reached the UK, these numbers port highlights that: “This is in line with were 28% and 39%, respectively. Another study by Edelman in March showed that, even among a younger audience, social media performed behind traditional news Pandemic Data: numbers media as a source of reliable infor- as scary as the virus mation about Covid-19. It is an en- As the pandemic grew, the shocking Journalists and the public had to per- couraging result for journalism figures of lives lost and people infected fect their maths skills in order to under- as it indicates there are real chances were publicised online and followed in stand logarithmic curves, exponential of attracting a younger audience real-time – and they were immediately series and seven-day moving averages. with quality information. updated on a global scale. With such The data available allowed for endless Three out of four people aged 55 scary statistics, the new coronavirus has numerical combinations, which could and above got most of their up- created a data-driven pandemic as the be expressed in graphs, interactive dates on the coronavirus from ma- toll from 100 to 10 million – and is now maps and other formats that provided jor organisations (71% against 25% approaching 30 million cases. important data-journalism work, such in social networks). The youngest as those of The Washington Post. also recognised the value of news media: 56% of 18 to 34-year-olds compared to 54% that got most of Covid-19 is a human story about health, their coronavirus updates from so- economics and social justice, but it is also a massive cial media. data story. AI helps to gather, analyse and present that data in useful, relevant ways that audiences can connect to more easily. Charlie Beckett, Polis/LSE 9 Fake news as dangerous as the virus

Since the first news about the mysterious infection appeared in the press of Lots of several countries in December 2019, the virus of disinformation has multiplied wildly, contaminating the world with myths about a disease that would later information be named Covid-19. The positive side effect was the wake-up call to society about how fundamental reliable information sources need to be, especially to fight when it comesFake to public news health. as dangerous as the virus

WHO reports the outbreak is WHO declares a Global misinformation caused by a novel coronavirus Pandemic, the sixth in its history

9/1 31/1 11/3 30/3

WHO warns: “We're not just When the World Health Organi- WHO declares a Global Þghting an epidemic, weÕre Health Emergency sation addressed the world at the Þghting an infodemicÓ end of March to cry out against what it called an “infodemic of misinformation”, it was too late.

Fake news spreads faster and more easily than the virus and is just as dangerous. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation

4chan took the lead In reality, fake news started before the journal Nature followed the trail of ru- stories of the disease gained main- mours. They found that fake news sto- stream media attention. A study by ries started to circulate in mid-Decem- researchers at George Washington Uni- ber through 4chan, before spreading to versity and published by the scientific other networks.

4chan Telegram Gab Facebook

Week of 19 December 2019 Week of 23 January 2020 Week of 20 February 2020

Source: Nature, George Washington University.

10 Fertile ground for dangerous and absurd theories Lists compiled by fact-checking organ- about miracle cures, ways of prevent- flu, questions raised about the use of isations gathered the most absurd the- ing the disease, the origin of the virus masks, suspicions that the virus could ories about the new coronavirus, which (including the possibility of it being have been invented by Bill Gates and led to problems such as the discrimina- created on purpose), vaccination issues the idea that 5G towers could be re- tion and attacks against Asian individu- (propagated by anti-vaccine move- sponsible for weakening immunity and als in various parts of the world. A report ments), comparisons with the common facilitating contagions. made in Europe by the news agency AFP In the UK, more than 70 mobile In Italy, a bracelet "capable" of In Germany, anti-vaccine protesters and five fact-checking phone towers were burned down protecting against radiation from 5G promoted several street clashes. agencies (Correctiv, by people who believe the towers (offered for more than 600 The Business Insider website says Pagella Politica/Facta, structures emit radiation-causing euro), had its sale suspended and the country is at the forefront of anti- Covid-19. Company employees the website removed by the vaccination movement and is Full Fact and maldita. have also been attacked. authorities. obsessed with the idea that Bill es) classified the most Gates is behind the virus. common false information in groups.

The most prominent rumours include un- substantiated stories In Brazil, the sale of hydroxychloroquine was put under medical prescription only, to restrain indiscriminate use as coronavirus prevention. In India, conspiracy theories targeted In Taiwan, WHO had Muslims, accused of spreading to deny that it had Covid-19 after a cluster of infections recommended the were traced to a mosque. Stores use of nicotine FromDa Alemanha, Germany, suffered boycotts. against the virus. KarinaKarina Gomes Gomes

The importance of media literacy to combat misinformation In the wake of the global trend, fake news the mandatory use of masks. The protests threatening than any flu wave”. about the new coronavirus has been widely brought together supporters of the far-right, Protesters who ignored the rules of so- shared on social media in Germany. At the anti-vaccine groups and conspiracy theo- cial distancing were criticised by Saskia beginning of the outbreak, a disseminated rists. Many posters said “Corona-Lüge”, or the Essen, a representative of the Social Demo- alarmist video of an Italian-resident German “lie of the new coronavirus”. cratic Party, who named them as “Covidio- woman reported an alleged mass death of Conspiracists claim that the “alleged pan- ten” in a post on Twitter. babies in the country because of Covid-19. demic” is a form of coup against democracy German virologist Christian Drosten, The thesis of chlorine ingestion against the and an instrument to increase state control who advises Merkel’s team on government new coronavirus, defended by US President over individuals. This message was highligh- decisions related to the pandemic, is one Donald Trump, was also very visible. ted in many posters during the protests in of 100 scientists who signed an open letter This misinformation fuelled a movement the capital Berlin and Stuttgart. against the “infodemic” on social media. against the social isolation measures impo- A magazine produced by these groups, For the media expert Bernhard Pörksen, sed by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel which had a circulation of almost 400,000 the crisis of the new coronavirus shows not when restrictions began to relax in late April. copies, featured the “horror regime” im- only “how important journalists are” but Thousands of demonstrators gathered in plemented by the German government also that media literacy is one of the big- several German cities to demand an end to because of a pandemic which is “no more gest educational deficits today.

11 Initiatives tackling fake news have emerged though the crisis With the infodemic out of control, or- and flagging false news about the virus, their coverage of the coronavirus. It is ganisations have come together across classified by type and by source. their goal to enable news gatherers to the world to try to control disinforma- find reliable information more speedily Latam Chequea Coronavirus, which tion. The Poynter Institute, a centre for and easily. The initiative is coordinated by currently gathers information from 34 American journalism studies, launched the Argentine organisation Chequeado, fact-checking organisations from 17 Lat- the International Fact-Checking Net- while Brazilian Agência Lupa facilitares in American countries and Spain, aims work (IFCN) in March, with more than the Portuguese version. to help journalists and sub-editors with 100 participants dedicated to mapping

Fake news in real-time Social media platforms With daily updates, the IFCN’s site (https://www.poynter.org/coronavirusfactsalliance) shows the spread of misinformation around the world. are increasingly under Each fact check is scrutiny, especially due to the represented as a circle, which fades with age amount of disinformation they are responsible for. Regulation is needed, and I believe it may benefit bona fide journalists who work responsibly and ethically, allowing them to be Each circle represents the number of fact checks that heard and, hopefully, properly primarily originated in a country funded.

Deborah Bonetti, Director, The Foreign Press Association in London

Misinformation has followed the news trend In March, the United Kingdom’s com- including exposure to fake news. The rus crisis was under criticism. Half of the munications regulator Ofcom launched curve peaked in the week of April 20, British people surveyed admitted they a weekly monitoring of public behaviour when deaths were on the rise and the had been exposed to false news. regarding the pandemic in the country, government’s handling of the coronavi- Ofcom warns that the reduction seen in the graph below reflects the general drop in the news about Covid-19 50% 46% and not just on misinformation. In late 50 44% Did not read false 39% or misleading March, 99% of Britons involved in the information 38 research said they accessed coronavirus Read false information at least once a day, drop- 25 32% or misleading % % ping to 85% by the end of July. In May, 28 28% 29 information the Reuters Institute noted that 25% 13 of the people surveyed started to avoid

0 news about the disease, which is the Semana 1 Semana 5 Semana 9 Semana 14 Week 1 Week 5 Week 9 Week 14 highest point of saturation. The main (March) (April) (May) (June) reason asserted was the effect it had on Source: Ofcom. Survey in the UK with at least 2000 respondents each round. their mood.

12 X-Ray Infodemy Italian online news about the new coronavirus shows how the phenom

Misinformation Infodemy spreads out Big increase in information The tension provoked by a surge in news like a vírus and its trend about the issue. In Italy, more can cause information fatigue, leading and information chart also shows a curve than 60% of all information the space in news coverage to decrease, that needs to be circulating online was on although the number of people exposed evolved along flattened. Covid-19 to it continues to grow.

9 mar Lockdown 3 mai similar paths, Fim do Lockdown 21 fev Primeira vítima but myth fatal italiana

dissemination 30 jan Primeiros casos de lasted for longer turistas chineses

Exponential rise Misinformation (in The excess in misinformation Misinformation fades out in the volume of red) and information makes it diﬃcult to identify what’s more slowly because it is news happens in (green line) followed trustworthy. In the Italian case, driven by other motivations a very short the same pattern more than 50% of misinformation even after interest in period of time circulating online was on Covid-19. information decreases.

Gr‡Þco: Agcom - Autoritˆ per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni.

Trust in social media eroded While quality journalism regained trust, Survey data from Ofcom Populus The findings indicate a greater connec- social media lost it. Research across among UK online news consumers tion between fake news and social me- the globe has confirmed that social shows that 60% of young adults (16 dia as a source of information, although networks were the primary source of to 24-year-olds) accessed coronavirus the problem is not restricted to these misinformation. One of the most com- news via social media, by far the highest two areas. Another concerning factor is prehensive investigations into this area rate across all age groups. At the same the 40% rate of exposure of older adults was conducted by the Reuters Institute. time, the same research showed that to misinformation about the disease, Most of the 8,000 respondents identi- about 60% declared having been ex- despite the fact that they use TV, news- fied social media as the main source of posed to fake news related to Covid-19 papers and official government chan- false news about the pandemic. in the previous week; also the highest nels as their main news sources. score among all age groups. On social media, the biggest amount of misleading information about Covid-19

Source: Digital News Report 2020, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. Users that have seen false or misleading information about coronavirus in April, 2020. Base: USA, UK, Germany, Spain, South Korea and Argentina = 8522 respondents.

13 Misinformation Misinformation increases risks Of the 7% who believe there’s no Of the 93% who believe that on health evidence the Covid-19 exists: Covid-19 exists: 56% used Facebook as a key Only 20% used Facebook as key 132 authorities’ information source Covid-19Covid-19 é information source invenção?does not radar exist

One of the effects of Covid-19 was to Four out of 10 have had friends or Only one out of 10 have had friends draw the attention of society to the role family visiting during lockdown or family visiting during lockdown

of social networks as a perfect breeding Of the 92% who believe Covid-19 ground for the proliferation of fake news. Of the 8% who believe Covid-19 is there’s no relation between linked to 5G radiation: Covid-19 and 5G radiation: Health officials and institutions have 60% used Youtube as their Only 20% used YouTube as their stepped up efforts to combat myths main source of information Covid-19 is main source of information that, far from being funny, have posed a linked to 5G radiation danger to public health. These untruths have led people to ingest harmless and dangerous substances; they have led Four out of 20 left home or One out of 20 left home or people to expose themselves and oth- went to with symptoms went to with symptoms

ers to risks, as well as encouraged peo- Fonte: PesquisaSource: Ipsos-MORI Ipsos-Mori / King’s / King’s College College; realizada survey in em March, março 2020; com 2,254 residentes adults aged no 16-75 Reino in Unido the UK. entre 16 e 75 anos. ple to commit acts of vandalism.

A study by King’s College in London obtained information about Covid-19 This research was based on three sur- – one of the most respected scientif- via Facebook and YouTube were more veys conducted in April, reviewed by ic organisations in the world – and Ip- likely to believe conspiracy theories and academics and published in the journal sos-MORI concluded that people who disrespect rules of social distancing. Psychological Medicine.

Concerns over public demonstrations Demonstrations in Berlin and London society. In London, during the march immunity” and “Masks increase risk of that took place at the end of August, organised by the ‘Unite For Freedom’ infection”. while Europe was concerned about a movement, messages on signs read “No In Germany, the reaction of the protest- coronavirus resurgence, are an example to mandatory vaccines”, “Masks reduce ers when the police tried to of the threat to public health. prevent the march because Thousands of people gath- they were not respecting ered in both cities to claim social distance, showed the that Covid-19 is a hoax. The political agenda behind crowds rallied against social the movements. Protesters distancing measures and shouted far-right slogans vaccination. such as “Resistance” and Most of the defiant mass- “We are the people”. They es refused to wear a mask also sang the German na- during these protests, send- tional anthem. ing a dangerous message to

14 Fake news spread by distracted people… Initiatives to raise public awareness on Authored by researcher Gordon Penny- the danger of spreading false informa- cook, the survey found a political anom- tion proved to be even more necessary aly that occurred within the context of We need to change the way during the pandemic because peo- Covid-19, where political partisanship people interact with social ple did not always realise the risk they was not the main reason for sharing media. But until that big posed to others. Nieman Lab, a journal- misinformation, but rather the desire change happens, we can ism think tank at Harvard University in for validation and social recognition. at least remind people to the US, highlighted a study published And since this misinformation was of- consider whether something in the Psychological Science journal ten mixed with content in which accu- is true before they share it. showing that lack of attention plays a racy is not relevant (such as baby photos key role in sharing myths on social net- or animal videos), people may habitu- Gordon Pennycook, works. ate to a lower level of accuracy consid- University of Regina, eration in social media. Canada

... or with ulterior motives

Lack of reader attention, however, is not check the content being shared on certain situations, which then gave voice the only factor to blame for the spread their platforms, especially in countries to organisations, health authorities and of misinformation on social media. Pol- where the manipulation of Covid-19 celebrities who took a stand against the iticians and world leaders used social by those in power was more prevalent. political use of the pandemic. networks as a political strategy to share They were compelled to intervene in their sometimes controversial views on Covid-19, which resulted in a number of myths being circulated about the virus. Millions of interventions against fake news For example, the USA-China dispute positioned it as a biological weapon de- veloped by the enemy.

Prominent politicians and elected offi- In April, Nearly 18 million Twitter removed To make the cials disseminated conspiracy theories Facebook fraudulent more than 1.5 spread of fake flagged nearly million users for news more about the virus for political and eco- coronavirus 50 million fake emails were posting false challenging, nomic gain, or to push for an end to the Covid-19 blocked by information in WhatsApp limited restrictions placed on their citizens. related posts. Google in April. sharing options. Gmail per day. In this context, social media platforms faced pressure to regulate and to fact

15 And some made money during the crisis In some cases, fake news was able football player and BBC presenter, to infiltrate traditional news chan- makes good money from books, Some of the fake news around Covid-19 nels. The UK’s broadcast regulator lectures and advertising on various was not innocent or political, but com- Ofcom has issued guidance to the channels. ITV acknowledged the mercial, driving traffic to online chan- ITV channel about an interview failure and reached an agreement nels and selling miracle cures. Organi- with conspiracy-theorist David Icke, to avoid further penalties, eventual- sations accused the platforms of failing who debated at length – without ly broadcasting a correction and re- to act to control the spread of misin- being challenged – an unsubstanti- inforcing its internal controls. Icke’s formation. ated theory linking the coronavirus channel on YouTube was eventually with 5G technology. Icke, a former removed. The case of the ʻPlandemic’ video, with conspiracy theories about the origin of the disease, is a clear example. After being shared millions of times in a few days, it was banned from mainstream Icke (left) is can still platforms. However, it remains ac- be found online, cessible on third-party channels and although his You- websites. Meanwhile, books written Tube channel was by its protagonist, American doctor removed Judy Mikovits, became best-sellers on Amazon.

World leaders and celebrities It was no coincidence that a sparked rumours study by the Reuters Institute in While certain fake news stories about They were flagged as fake content on January pointed out politicians Covid-19 appeared to have sprung up Instagram. as the biggest source of concern out of nowhere, others had a public about fake news in digital media. Meanwhile, political leaders, with their and proven origin. In July, the singer Globally, politicians were men- influence and visibility, gave voice to 2 Madonna posted a message advocat- tioned by no less than 40% of re- dangerous myths, which alarmed ing hydroxychloroquine and F1 driver spondents. By country, the Unit- health officials. Lewis Hamilton questioned vaccines. ed States, Brazil, the Philippines and South Africa were the nations with WANTED IN MARCH MORE the highest levels of SCIENTISTS AND LESS POLITICIANS % 85 TALKING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC concern regarding Source: Edelman. Global survey in March, 2020 with this topic. 0 100 10,000 respondents above18 years. US President Donald Trump recommended hydroxychloriquine Belarus’ President as a preventive measure against Alexander Lukashenko the disease and suggested the advised people to drink government investigate the vodka and go to saunas ingestion of bleach as a means to ward off Covid-19. to eliminate the virus from infected people. Madagascar’s President Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro Andy Rajoelina promoted denied the severity of the an untested herbal tonic - coronavirus. Insisted that Covid-Organics, produced hydroxychloroquine would cure from the artemisia plant those who fall ill. Motivated people and not in line with WHO not to comply with social distancing. guidelines. It was marketed as prevention and remedy.

16 Scientific journals failed to escape the Extra fuel for scrutiny of quality journalism pressures on In a crisis that turned everything Quality journalism then raised digital platforms upside down, respected scientif- doubts on the study. An investi- There was a positive consequence that ic journals, which are often used gation by The Guardian revealed derived from the misinformation being as an unquestionable journalistic flaws, forcing the journal to re- circulated online. A strong argument source, were also queried by the tract their research and announce formed for those who advocate the news media. changes in peer-reviewing before imposition of control mechanisms on publication. Cases like this explain The most notorious example was social media platforms that share these why news organisations – from that of the British medical journal, untruths, similar to the regulations large groups to independent me- The Lancet, which published a placed on traditional media organisa- dia – have seen their trust levels study indicating cardiac risks from tions. rise with the pandemic. hydroxychloroquine. This resulted In July, the United Kingdom took a in the suspension of testing insti- step in that direction. A parliamentary gated by the WHO. commission called on the government to immediately designate a regulatory body for social media, a measure prom- Anti-vaccine: the next challenge for ised since last year. society and the media While the world eagerly awaits Countering Digital Hate identi- What we need to do - a vaccine that will allow normal fied the extent of the problem. A life to resume and the economies survey commissioned by YouGov and I’m not convinced affected by the coronavirus to re- also discovered that 31% of Britons regulation is the answer, cover, a risk remains: the growth would hesitate to take the vaccine. but perhaps more force of the anti-vaccine movement, from government is - is The issue has been highlighted by which is one of the greatest fake ensure that we have major global media outlets keen news stories related to the pan- to collaborate with health author- clear rules around demic. ities and organisations to combat where platforms should In July, a report produced by the this wave of disinformation. intervene, and where they British organisation Center for shouldn’t Chris Stockel-Walker, specialised journalist in Against vaccination technology and social 409 anti-vaxx social media accounts in English language networks, author of the spreading the myth that vaccines are dangerous book YouTubers Full interview in mediatalks.com.br

2 million 58 million followers This movement adds to the pressures 7 million carried out by organisations related to the news industry and by governments 17 million in order to mitigate the financial impact on media organisations caused by the concentration of advertising funds on the platforms. Covid-19 may eventually accelerate such changes. 32 million

7,8 million new followers only in 2019

Source: Center for Countering Digital Hate..

17 The extent of damage to the media industry by Covid-19 is still to be assessed. The recovery will be long, and some organisations may not be able to survive.

At the same time, the pandemic has spurred major advances towards digitalisation and modernisation, and it has led to several organisations Financial gaining audience figures who are attracted by trustworthy news. It has sustainability also fuelled creative solutions aimed at preserving jobs and revenues. The World Economic Forum in June projected a 9% drop in advertising in Europe. In the United States, the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) forecasted a 20% drop in the second half of 2020. The new coronavirus has shaken most economic sectors, some even more than the media industry. In the United Kingdom, the reduction in marketing budgets in the However, not all of these sectors were struggling be- second quarter of 2020 was 50.7%, according to the IPA (Institute of fore the pandemic – unlike the journalism industry. Practitioners in Advertising). This is the lowest level of advertising in 20 years. It is even lower than the fall in advertising after the 2008 global The final straw that triggered the current financial financial crisis. crisis was a tsunami that no-one expected.

I think there’ll be hundreds, not dozens of closures. An extinction-level event will probably hit the Business models put to the test smaller ones hard, as Covid-19 was a nightmare that came sufficient enough to solve any financial well as the ones that true for those who were already losing issues. All types of media were hit: from are part of the huge sleep over the migration of investments legacy print newspapers to contempo- chains in advertising to digital platforms and rary news channels on YouTube. the change in news consumption hab- Some areas are already recovering, but Penny Abernathy, its, as well as the fragmentation of rev- the effects on the sector may last lon- Knight Chair in enues and audience leveraged by the ger, which has provoked a reaction from Journalism and Digital proliferation of independent digital campaigners and advocates aware of channels. Media Economics at the the importance of securing the future University of North Carolina Record levels of audience and trust reg- of quality journalism. istered at the peak of the crisis were not

Most media companies are pursuing multiple revenue streams (reader payment, advertising, events, licensing, foundation funding, affiliate income and e-commerce). Increasingly we’ll also see more non-profit media and direct and indirect subsidy from governments around the world

Nic Newman, The Reuters Institute. Full interview in MediaTalks.com.br

18 Worse effects on print media and regional outlets How do you sanitise paper? The fear Another consequence of the pandem- from the effects of slower economic of handling a newspaper – especially ic is the premature death of regional activity in smaller towns and the effec- free titles distributed in public spaces and local titles, even in countries with a tiveness of local advertisers to use digital that are more dependent on advertis- stable economy. The pandemic affect- platforms to reach their target audienc- ing revenue – is just one reason for the ed smaller media organisations, inde- es. However, several media companies setbacks suffered by print media. This pendently-owned newspapers, radio started to turn things around by invest- area was hit harder than other types of stations and news websites. ing in online editions or reviewing busi- media. ness models. Regional media was already suffering

In the United States, Playboy France's main press In the United Kingdom, stopped printing. Fortune laid off distributor, Presstalis, filed newspapers distributed free of 10% of staff. As of August, for bankruptcy and had to charge suffered more. CityAM coronavirus has closed more than be rescued the stopped printing and online 50 local newsrooms, according to Government and media during lockdown. Metro largest Poynter Centre. sector circulating in the country, with 1.4 million copies, fell 78% in May. Evening Standard set up a home delivery operation and suffered a smaller drop, by 42%.

In Australia, Ruppert Murdoch’s group shut 112 local newspapers read by 6 million people (a quarter of the population), with 76 to remain online only.

In Argentina, celebrity magazine In New Zealand, publisher Punto, largest In Brazil, O Globo and Valor Econômico Bauer closed doors, made 200 circulating in stopped distributing printed versions in the employees redundant and the country, Federal capital, Brasilia. Metro closed in offered its iconic titles for became online. some cities and created a digital free edition. buyers.

The pandemic paralysed competitions, events and, in consequence, trade publications When the new coronavirus led to the sectors to cover in their pages. Media warned that 2020 will be the worst year closure of cinemas and the suspension companies relocated professionals to in its history. The prestigious British mu- of sporting events, concerts, exhibitions help with health reporting. sic magazine Q closed in July after 34 and even the Tokyo Olympics, not much years because publisher Bauer was un- French newspaper L’Équipe, which was left for sports and entertainment able to find a buyer, and so sacrificed presents one of the most recognised publications. Advertising revenue plum- the title. awards to the best athlete of the year, meted, and there was little left for these

19 Adapting to the new normal: Time Out’s creative example Publications that didn’t stop had to rein- lem. The damage by the suspension of vent themselves. In the United Kingdom, the printed version can be measured by Time Out magazine, which is an enter- comparing the number of pages and tainment listings magazine, migrated advertisements between January and to an online-only version. It changed its August. name to Time In and featured sugges- At the end of January, the print edition tions on virtual entertainment for people of Time Out circulated with 80 pages move online only. Returning to print in confined to their homes. and 57 advertisers. At the end of March, August, the magazine kept the reduced The idea helped to keep readers, but it it was reduced to 60 pages with 20 number of 60 pages, with only nine ad- did not fully solve the commercial prob- advertisers, which led the company to vertisers.

Online media was also Even you, YouTube? affected by coronavirus The concentration of advertising revenues in the Notable, successful and hands of digital platforms, whose algorithms de- YouTubers award-winning online me- US’s Vox Media cide where the adverts land, eventually impact- - 50% - 40% dia companies also saw their ed negatively on social networks themselves. prominence diminished, In April, British journalist Chris Stokel-Walker alongside their print ancestors wrote an article for Medium that stated how in- and TV. Vice Media, BuzzFeed, dependent creators – including the YouTuber’s Quartz and Vox Media are US's Vox Media was news channels – were earning much less. The some of the prominent com- 40% off its forecast for Digital Information World the second quarter and reason was the network’s content filtering sys- panies that reported a decline reported a drop of more expects to miss its full- tem. The blocking even reached neutral content than 50% in earnings on in revenue, which led to office year target by 25% – such as tips on what to do at home during the the platform in March. according to CNBC. closures and job losses. lockdown.

Signs of recovery of publishers cited non-adver- As the economy recovers, However, AOP noted that “most 89% tising revenue growth as a high there are signs of hope among publishers remain pessimistic priority for the next 12 months, up from 78% publishers. In the UK, a survey about the industry and the im- who said the same in Q2 2019. pact of Covid-19”. They added of AOP members carried out of publishers identified cost reduc- that publisher confidence in between May and June found tion as a high priority for the next 12 the financial prospects of their an increase in optimism 78%months, up from 44% last year. among publishers since the own companies was stronger The survey was conducted with 15 consumer publishers and six news first quarter. than their confidence in the in- trade publications. AOP members include: News UK, DMG Media, Guard- dustry as a whole. ian Media Group, Telegraph Media Group, Dennis, ESI Media, Future, Hay- market, JPI Media, Immediate Media, Bauer and Autotrader.

Over the past decade, the industry has worked creatively to diversify, building strong teams in subscription, online content, sponsorship and After a turbulent 2019, the latest DPRI data more. To withstand pressures of the pandemic, this demonstrates the challenges to revenue in early 2020 diversification should provide publishers with the wasn’t as severe as had been expected. While Covid-19 flexibility to launch new methods for content creation disruption will inevitably impact revenues as we and delivery, enabling them to reach new audiences move through the year, the overall decline in Q1 2020 and stay ahead of the competition. Purse strings may was relatively slight with multiple areas of growth. be tight, but sustained growth in subscriptions, up by Subscriptions, in particular were already playing an 19% year-on-year, demonstrates that consumers are increasingly essential role in the monetisation of online ready and willing to invest in quality content. content and look set to become even more vital as Dan Ison, Lead Partner for Telecommunications, Media publishers adapt to the new landscape. and Entertainment at Deloitte Richard Reeves, Managing Director, AOP 20 Open content or paywall: a question still unanswered The crisis brought by Covid-19 has not helped increase sales of the Saturday in the UK and 31% in Australia, despite yet served to confirm whether the key to edition and faced a revolt by the dis- the editorial success of some of its titles, journalistic success is the paywall – where missed staff, who demanded the use of such as the British The Times. all content is available to subscribers only the endowment fund to cover the gap These results also reinforce the idea – or alternative models, such as member- and avoid job cuts. defended by several experts, that only ship, micropayment or donations. The It is interesting to note that the success a few titles manage to attract enough latter appears as the more democratic of The New York Times is not necessarily subscribers to pay the bills. News Corp’s solution, producing content made avail- a sign that one size fits all. Other titles Dow Jones division, which edits The Wall able for free and counting on the sup- dependant on subscribers have re- Street Journal, made a 13% profit. Along port of the audience’s goodwill: financial ported significant losses in the second with The New York Times, it emerges as contributions from people aligned with quarter and have had to cut jobs, even one of the few organisations that have the causes advocated by the outlet, such though they had an increase in the achieved financial sustainability by rely- as The Guardian in the UK and El Diario number of paid subscriptions. ing on subscriptions. in Spain. The Tribune (owner of Chicago Tribune) Professor Charlie Beckett, founder and Based only on the immediate results of lost 27% of revenue. Gannet (owner of director of Polis, a think tank on media iconic representatives of the two main at the London School of Economics, be- USA Today) closed negatively at 28%. business models – The Guardian, with lieves in the model but notes that it is News Corp, owned by media mogul open access, and The New York Times, not a single solution that applies to all Rupert Murdoch, reported a 22% drop organisations. which is under a paywall – the restricted access model is prevailing. The Amer- ican newspaper announced its quar- terly results in the first week of August, reconfirming the value of betting on I am a strong believer in subscriptions.

For the first time, digital revenue sur- the value of commercial passed that of print (US$185.5 million, funding that can support against US$175.4 million in print). The newspaper gained 669,000 subscrib- independent, innovative and ers in the quarter. Despite a 43% drop enterprising news media. in advertising, it has 10% more cash on hand than a year ago and recorded a However, clearly that business much smaller drop in revenue than that of other large groups: 7.5%. It even model will be limited to a made layoffs – 68 – but in commercial few core enterprises that can areas, not in the newsroom. achieve scale or specialise and Conversely, The Guardian has struggled. Readers’ loyalty was insufficient to mit- attract the limit amount of igate the damage from the ad crash, even though the Reuters Institute esti- subscription revenue. mates that more than a million people Charlie Beckett, contributed last year. Without a secure Polis, London School of Economics cushion of subscriptions, it had to cut 180 positions, 70 of which were in the Full interview in mediatalks.com.br newsroom. It sacrificed sections that 21 Whatever the model becomes, will the audience pay? And how much?

The rise in subscriptions observed by Content/Experience: USA 28% UK 21% Norway 37% some news organisations, such as The Price/Convenience: USA 35% UK 30% Norway 47% Nothing: USA 40% UK 50% Norway 19% New York Times – with 29% – has not ex- USA UK Norway tended to the entire industry. The avail- ability of free content makes many peo- 17% If the content was more valuable to me 9% ple think twice before paying for news. 23%

There is also a generational factor. A 6% If I could get news content tailored for me 4% study by the YouGov Institute published 9% in August in the United Kingdom found 14% that half of those who subscribe to print If there were no adverts 14% or digital news in the country is over 55. 16% In the 18 to 24 age group, the percent- age drops to 12%.

The Reuters Institute asked the ques- 18% tion of intention to pay for content in If it was cheaper 14% three countries: United States, United 30% Kingdom and Norway. The proportion 15% One price for all the main news sites 12% of those who say that nothing would 17% make them pay for the news is high: 14% Bundled with another service (mobile phone or 40% in the United States and 50% in 13% streaming video) the United Kingdom, perhaps due to 8% the effect of the public network BBC, 8% which provides quality news. For those Reasonable oﬀer covering my family 6% 12% who consider paying, price is the main factor in all three countries. Source: Digital News Report 2020, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford.

Even before the pandemic, the American research com- Subscription pany eMarketer, which spe- revenue is more cialises in the digital world, sustainable. It is had already projected a recurrent, and it has sharp drop in the number of TV subscribers for the com- a lot of advantages. ing years. The problem is that

The limit on what the con- the revenue base is sumer wants – or can – pay, not large enough. especially with personal You would need to finances affected by the charge so much for a economic crisis caused by subscription to sustain Covid-19, imposes the challenge of finding a balance. In the entire cost of addition, another question running a media site arises: would this limit be Kristin Skogen Lund, enough to cover the costs of Chief Executive of producing quality journalism, requiring well-prepared teams and sophisticated Schibsted, the biggest technologies? publisher in Scandinavia, interviewed by the Financial Times 22 Splitting the bill with the state is one of the options The crisis shed light on the role of the government in Save the News safeguarding quality journal- Norway: Media aid Sweden: Direct state UK: Government France: 2 billion euro Germany: package to cover aid has added an ran a multimillion available to the sector. Government and ism, which is pivotal for de- 60% of the financial additional US$ 143 pound campaign In July, a tax credit local administrations mocracy. One of the positive loss suffered due to million to the across hundreds grant was approved for have launched aid effects of the pandemic was the pandemic. permanent fund that of newspapers. individuals who make packages, mostly for has existed since news subscriptions. regional media In to serve as a wake-up call to Available to national media organisations 1965. Bavaria, local radio society in general. which have experienced and TV received decline in turnover of at € 1.2 million. In Governments have creat- least 20%. Thuringia, the grant ed emergency relief pro- was of € 5 million. grammes for the sector, Canada: A fund created in 2018 was activated to in addition to generous accelerate the release of Austria: € 32 million schemes that existed before US$ 37.5 million to the news fund created to help newspapers and TV the pandemic. Examples of media industry over 5 years. An additional support of US$ stations. this emergency relief include 48.75 million was provided direct contributions to me- to free-distribution dia companies, incentives for newspapers, independent media and radio channels. subscriptions and financial US: A senate emergency stimulus Argentina: A decree Australia: US$ 34.4 New Zealand: US$ 32 support for salaries. In sever- package allocated US$75 million to aid prohibits layoffs and million aid package million aid was al countries, the adoption of public television and radio stations. One furloughs, including in for regional media allocated to media similar programmes or the of the leading unions, NewsGuild-CWA, media sector, with the and exemption from companies. The sector launched a "Save the News” advocacy government some federal taxes was one of the three to expansion of existing systems campaign to make the case that local supporting half of the and fees for 12 be granted specific has been discussed. newsrooms must be included in federal wages. months. support, along with recovery efforts. health and aviation.

But state aid can turn into a double- edged sword With the rise of authoritarian governments around the world, there are cau- tious voices about state support. They In Greece, IPI de- warn about the need for well-struc- nounced that In Austria, the use of the audi- tured mechanisms to ensure that aid the news- ence as a criterium for choosing does not turn into a political influence paper Doc- recipients of emergency aid has on editorial content or to preferential umento was been criticised by the IPI, along treatment, with funds given to organi- excluded from with the country’s Union of Jour- sations aligned with those in power. the state’s sup- nalists and Press Club (the oldest During the pandemic, some govern- port package in retaliation for press association in the world). ments used these programmes to try their critical coverage of Prime They claim that quality must be and control news sources when they Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis. The taken into account to prevent were more economically vulnerable. government argued that funds the concentration of funds on The International Press Institute (IPI) would not be passed on to large-scale tabloids that do not pointed out example cases. “sources that spread fake news”. always respect ethics.

23 Society’s role in safeguarding quality journalism There are other proven methods used to help Possible ways media organisations achieve financial sustain-

ability, in addition to state PRIVATE DIGITAL PHILANTHROPY INITIATIVE support and dependence PLATFORMS on advertisers, subscribers or members. Some of Professor Charlie Beckett Google and Facebook these were put into prac- Among the entrepreneurs (Polis / LSE), points to expanded programs to tice during the pandemic. who have invested in philanthropy as a key support funding and new struggling organizations, the element: "Charities and projects. But it is questioned most notorious is Jeff foundations need to realize whether such aid is capable Bezos, founder of Amazon, that a healthy media is a who in 2013 bought the of solving structural problems. vital part of society and can Washington Post. During the France and Australia have support other philanthropic pandemic, Australia saw its been pushing the platforms goals". news agency (Australian to pay for the content, and Associated Press) go Canada said it will follow suit. bankrupt. A consortium of 35 But Facebook said no to the entrepreneurs saved it. Australian pledge, justifying that the content is replaceable.

The conversation goes on The second issue of this series will ex- Charlie Beckett (Polis/LSE) and Chris online material also explores in-depth plore the effects of the crisis on jobs and Stokel-Walker (a writer of several nota- topics, such as access to and trust in the the freedom of press. The issue will also ble publications), as well as other articles news media and social networks. include an analysis on the future of jour- from the correspondents who partici- MediaTalks would like to hear your nalism after the pandemic, with insight pated in this issue. Our comprehensive comments and and input from spe- ideas. Please con- cialists from several tact us via the web- countries. site, where you can In the meantime, also register to re- the conversation ceive alerts when continues on the new content is pub- MediaTalks web- lished by the team. site, where you We look forward to will find interviews seeing you there! with Nic Newman (Reuters Institute),

Brazil: Jornalistas Editora Ltda. Publisher (São Paulo) Design: Rua Diana 914 - São Paulo - SP Eduardo Ribeiro ([email protected]) Paulo Sant’Ana ([email protected]) 05019-000 - Brasil Chief Editor (London) Editorial Board: Eduardo Ribeiro, Wilson Baroncelli, Luciana Gurgel ([email protected]) Luciana Gurgel, Flavia Vigio, Aldo De Luca UK : ContentFromLondon Executive Editor 2-8 Eton Avenue 30 Wilson Baroncelli ([email protected]) Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledge. For any use or reproduction of individual Londres - Reino Unido Editor photos or images, permission must be sought directly from NW33EJ Fernando Soares ([email protected]) the copyright holders. 24