The Covid-19 pandemic pushed journalists and editors to their limits amid disinformation and personal health concerns, according to an edited volume of studies by a global network of researchers.
The book “Ecologies of Global Risk Journalism: Conceptualizing Local Journalism in an Era of Deep Disruptions” featured chapters authored by Felipe Salvosa II and Christian Esguerra, faculty members of of the UST Department of Journalism and researchers at the UST Research Center for Culture, Arts and Humanities.
Published by Routledge, the book is a project of the Global Risk Journalism Hub, a network of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world seeking to understand the issues surrounding global journalism and the communication of global risks. The volume was edited by prominent journalism scholars Ingrid Volkmer, Bruce Mutsvairo, Saba Bebawi, Ansgard Heinrich, and Antonio Castillo.
Esguerra said the role of the journalist changed, with reporters tasked not only with delivering news, but also correcting statements made by government officials and other influential figures.
“Our experience during the pandemic lockdown made us rethink how it was to do journalism in this day and age. [W]e’re talking about two things here: adaptation and survival,” Esguerra said during the book’s Manila launch on Feb. 24.
“Because of the pandemic, we had to do more fact-checking—more intense fact-checking than we usually did—because of so much garbage, so much fake news and disinformation floating around,” he said.
While Esguerra acknowledged the crucial role of smartphones in reporting during the pandemic lockdown, he also noted that it limited their opportunity to question real-time statements.
According to him, journalists evaluated the credibility of sources using two primary criteria: the expertise and motivation of their sources.
“The journalists that we were able to interview face-to-face saw that there were important goals that remained true during the pandemic,” he said. “One was to provide accurate information in a sea of disinformation, [a]nd two, provide context.”
Mental health issues
Salvosa, chair of the UST Department of Journalism, pointed to economic challenges that affected local newspapers and other media outlets, causing distress for many journalists.
“This includes job insecurity due to the economic crisis, polarization in the political climate, and growing attacks from government officials. The relentless breaking news cycle also resulted in hyper-connectivity among media workers. As a result, media workers were highly exposed to mental health issues,” Salvosa said.
Salvosa said the level of workload in the industry became “borderline unbearable” because of numerous virtual events and meetings.
“Lines between professional and personal lives were blurred because of hyperconnectivity or being forever connected to your smartphones, which are in turn, always on to accept whatever messages are coming from your editors,” he said.
Journalists feared financial difficulties, with nearly half of the Philippine Press Institute’s member publications to either temporarily or permanently shut down.
The findings showed that 8 out of 10 journalists feared that the pandemic would cause financial strain within their news organizations.
“Based on our findings, the fear was the highest in the Philippines where, as we said, several community papers had to close because of lockdown-induced business losses. Imagine, no more opportunity to buy newspapers – which is the source of revenue for many local papers,” Salvosa added.
Salvosa, who is also the assistant publications adviser of the Varsitarian, said the work-life balance in the media industry remained skewed.
“Our findings highlight an urgent need for governments, media employers, and journalist unions to offer mental health support to help against burnout,” Salvosa said.
The launch of the Routledge publication was part of the University’s research fortnight activities.
