This presentation is made as a keynote speaker in the International Webinar on Role of Media in COVID Crisis on 17 July, 2020 organised by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow.

1. Media in COVID Crisis
Ankuran Dutta
INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR ON
ROLE OF MEDIA IN COVID CRISIS
17 July, 2020 FRIDAY

2. Dedicated to
Dr. Anamika Ray Memorial Trust

3. COVID Time
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age
of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of
belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was
the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had
nothing before us…..”
Charles Deakins
© ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

4. © ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

5. Media During COVID
COVID-19 creates both opportunities and
challenges to Indian Media
In other words, COVID Crisis creates CRISIS in
Media, but a chance at redemption
© ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

6. Media in COVID: Opportunities
A shifting to Digital Outlet
Humanitarian coverage
Opportunity for alternative media
Space issue has been curtailed
Best scope for Participatory Reporting
Broke the corporate funded outlets
© ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

7. © ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]
Source: News Laundry

8. Media in COVID: Challenges
Industrial Crisis, more particularly the print
Credibility with alternative media
Monetization vs Sustainability
Lack of ethics due to poor gatekeeping
Depend on Subscription based model
© ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

9. Source: Times of India

10. Media in COVID: Role
Manipulation of Discourse
Xenophobic Role- Homophily Syndrome
Superstition as Infodemic
News Anxiety- Overload of Information
Views overshadowed News: Health reporting is
misspelled
© ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

11. © ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

12. India’s Digital Population
India’s digital population amounting to
approximately 69 crore active users as of January
2020, which is the second largest internet market
in the world
India has currently about 63 crore active mobile
internet users among them 40 crore active social
media users
© ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

13. How Infodemic spread viral?
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14. Sanitize Your Mind
We need to sanitize our minds by verifying the
facts of the information flooded on the different
platforms of social media about COVID-19
Therefore, it has become as important to flatten
the curve of the Infodemic as to flatten the curve
of COVID-19.
© ARMT 2015-2019 [CC-BY-SA]

15. What to Do?
Filter 'believed facts' or
'distorted facts' to get 'checked
facts' through media literacy.
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16. #CheckTheFake
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