rds: media education, media literacy, media culture, distance learning, media texts, mass media, media-related tasks, social media, the COVID–19 pandemic, quarantine. Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie) Has been issued since 2005. ISSN 1994-4160. E-ISSN 2729-8132 2021. 17(2). Issued 4 times a year EDITORIAL BOARD Alexander Fedorov (Editor in Chief ), Prof., Ed.D., Rostov State University of Economics (Russia) Imre Szíjártó (Deputy Editor– in– Chief), PhD., Prof., Eszterházy Károly Fõiskola, Department of Film and Media Studies. Eger (Hungary) Ben Bachmair, Ph.D., Prof. i.r. Kassel University (Germany), Honorary Prof. of University of London (UK) Oleg Baranov, Ph.D., Prof., former Prof. of Tver State University Elena Bondarenko, Ph.D., docent of Russian Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), Moscow (Russia) David Buckingham, Ph.D., Prof., Loughborough University (United Kingdom) Emma Camarero, Ph.D., Department of Communication Studies, Universidad Loyola Andalucía (Spain) Irina Chelysheva, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof., Anton Chekhov Taganrog Institute (Russia) Alexei Demidov, head of ICO “Information for All”, Moscow (Russia) Svetlana Gudilina, Ph.D., Russian Academy of Education, Moscow (Russia) Tessa Jolls, President and CEO, Center for Media Literacy (USA) Nikolai Khilko, Ph.D., Omsk State University (Russia) Natalia Kirillova, Ph.D., Prof., Ural State University, Yekaterinburg (Russia) Sergei Korkonosenko, Ph.D., Prof., faculty of journalism, St– Petersburg State University (Russia) Alexander Korochensky, Ph.D., Prof., faculty of journalism, Belgorod State University (Russia) W. James Potter, Ph.D., Prof., University of California at Santa Barbara (USA) Robyn Quin, Ph.D., Prof., Curtin University, Bentley, WA (Australia) Alexander Sharikov, Ph.D., Prof. The Higher School of Economics, Moscow (Russia) Art Silverblatt, Ph.D., Prof. Emeritus, Webster University (USA) Vladimir Sobkin, Acad., Ph.D., Prof., Head of Sociology Research Center, Moscow (Russia) Pier Cesare Rivoltella, Ph.D., Full Professor in Education Technology Catholic University of Milan (Italy) Kathleen Tyner, Assoc. Prof., Department of Radio– Television– Film, The University of Texas at Austin (USA) Svetlana Urazova, PhD., Assoc. Prof., Head of the Research Section, Academy of Media Industry; Editor– in– chief of the “Vestnik VGIK” Journal (Russia) Elena Vartanova, Ph.D., Prof., Dean, faculty of journalism, Moscow State University (Russia) Journal is indexed by: Web of Science (USA), OAJI (USA), MIAR (Spain), EBSCO (USA), Russian Scientific Citations Index (Russian Federation) All manuscripts are peer reviewed by experts in the respective field. Authors of the manuscripts bear responsibility for their content, credibility and reliability. Editorial board doesn’t expect the manuscripts’ authors to always agree with its Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie) opinion. Founders: UNESCO Moscow Office, Release date 15.06.21 Russian Association for Film and Media Format 21 29,7/4. 2021 Education, ICO “Information for All”. Editor: Academic Publishing House Headset Georgia. Researcher s.r.o. Postal Address: 1367/4, Stara Vajnorska Order № 68 Is. 2 str., Bratislava − Nove Mesto, Slovak №201 Republic, 831 04 0 А Website: 1 http://ejournal53.com/en/index.html E–mail: [email protected] © Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie), 2021 Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie). 2021. 17(2) C O N T E N T S The Role of Mass Media in Tackling COVID-19 in Pakistan W.A. Afridi, T. Hussain, A. Hashmi, R. Asghar ……………………………………...……………… 169 News Media Use and Civic Engagement: The Mediating Role of Social Capital and Civic Accountability I. Ahmad, M. Fatima, F. Ali ............................................................................................. 177 Developing Critical Thinking Skills of Students in the Media Environment L.V. Alekseeva …............................................................................................................... 189 Irony vs Invective in Modern Media Communication L. Brusenskaya, I. Belyaeva, A. Kotaeva, L. Kulumbegova ………………………………………. 201 Social Networking Usage and Trends Among Voters of Sindh, Pakistan A.R. Chhachhar, R.R. Malik ………………………………………………………………………………… 208 Challenges in Covering Women and Girls’ Issues: Insights from Journalistic Practices in Bangladesh J. Das …............................................................................................................................. 217 The Image of the Sportsman in Polish Sports Feature Films of the Second Decade of the 21st Century P. Drzewiecki .............................…………………………..………………………………………………. 230 Strategic and Symbolic Advertising of Coca Cola in Pakistan: A Perspective of the Cultivation Theory H.B. Farooq, M. Maldonado, M.H. Khan, H. Sharif ........................................................ 238 Assessment of the Level of Students’ Scientific Literacy in Ukraine in the Media Literacy Context S. Fiialka, O. Trishchuk, I. Pobidash …….……………..……………………………………………….. 246 Cultural Landscapes Photographic Images in Character of Perception and Methods of Mass and Professional Media Education J. Gorelova, N. Khilko ....................................…………………………………………...…………… 255 Professional Competencies of a Modern Education Journalist P. Katerynych …................................................................................................................ 267 Jacinda Ardern Framed as an Icon of Peace and Anti-Racist in the Muslim World Press R.A. Khuhro, B. Memon, S.M.Z. Abedi ........................................................................... 277 Impact of the COVID-19 on the Economic Medialiteracy in Online Media M. Kitsa, I. Mudra .…...............................................………………………………………………… 290 Feminitives Activation in Modern Media Discourse: Linguoecological Aspect E. Kulikova, O. Akay, Z. Tedeeva, Kh. Kodalaeva ……..…........................................……… 304 On the Question of the Oratory of a Television Journalist (On the Example of Journalist and TV Presenter O. Skabeeva, Program "60 Minutes", TV Channel "Russia") O.M. Kultysheva ............................................................................................................... 308 167 Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie). 2021. 17(2) Theoretical Model of Media Competence’s Development of Teachers-to-be in the Process of the Analysis of Manipulative Media Influences A. Levitskaya, A. Fedorov ................................................................................................ 323 Modern Literary Criticism in the Context of the New Culture Evolvement N. Lysova ………..........…………………………………………………………………………………………. 333 Social Media Use and Self-Sexualization Behaviour Among University Girls: A Serial Mediation Approach Kh. Maqbool, F. Ali, M. Awais, M.A. Nadeem ................................................................ 338 Media Platforms as Influential Tool of Russian Language Learning Abroad V. Muzykant, E. Burdovskaya, K. Souhila, H. Ruiqi ….................................................... 350 Representation of Working Dynasties in Soviet Cinema: Inertia or Forcing O. Posukhova, L. Klimenko, S. Chelyshev .…................................................................... 362 Consumption of Sexually Explicit Content through Web Seriesand Emerging Adults' Sexual Objectification: An Empirical Study M. Saeed, F. Ali ................................................................................................................ 378 Soviet Science Fiction in the Mirror of Film Criticism and Viewers’ Opinions: A 21st Century View M. Tselykh …..................................................................................................................... 391 168 Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie). 2021. 17(2) Copyright © 2021 by Academic Publishing House Researcher s.r.o. Published in the Slovak Republic Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie) Has been issued since 2005 ISSN 1994-4160 E-ISSN 2729-8132 2021. 17(2): 169-176 DOI: 10.13187/me.2021.2.169 www.ejournal53.com The Role of Mass Media in Tackling COVID-19 in Pakistan Waqar Ahmed Afridi a , *, Tanveer Hussain a, Ammara Hashmi a, Rohail Asghar a a Virtual University of Pakistan, Pakistan Abstract At the end of 2019, in December, the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market appeared to be linked with the massive outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan. It was identified that a virus later called the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was responsible for this condition. The disease was named COVID-19 and declared a pandemic as it affected the entire world and claimed many lives. News pertaining to the spread of COVID-19 became the hot talk in all forms of media ranging from print and television to social media platforms. This study aims to provide an analysis of the role of all types of media in the crisis and emergency that has arisen worldwide due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The role of media in disseminating information, particularly within Pakistan, is discussed in detail regarding the spread of coronavirus and the media's active part in sensationalizing or controlling the situation. Keywords: COVID-19, mass media, TRPs, pandemic, fake news, decontextualized. 1. Introduction In December 2019, China witnessed a massive outbreak of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan. The pneumonia was linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, although the exact cause was not known. As the respiratory disease spread rapidly throughout China and led to many deaths, the Chinese government declared a state of emergency worldwide and informed