The Impact of COVID-19 on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South

"Increasingly,...it has become clear that the threat is not only in the form of a deadly virus. The pandemic is also being used by malign forces as an opportunity to disrupt, sabotage and hamper the free flow of trusted, independent information." - Antonio Zappulla, Chief Executive Officer, Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the news media has attempted to hold governments to account and translate public health information into a format that audiences can make sense of and apply to their daily lives. Featuring the voices of journalists from 26 countries, this study explores the impact of the pandemic on journalism in developing economies and the Global South. The report examines issues including the pandemic's impact on the personal safety and welfare of journalists, the structure of newsrooms and disruption to business models, the proliferation of fake news, and threats to media freedom. It also identifies approaches that have been developed as a response to these challenges and presents recommendations as the second wave of the pandemic takes hold around much of the world.

Since 1983, Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) has offered initiatives in more than 170 countries focused on the role media plays in democracy and development, the safety of journalists, and the future of journalism. As part of this work, TRF delivers journalism training focused on editorial judgement, elections coverage, video news, interviewing skills, mobile journalism, and court reporting. For the present report, 55 alumni of these TRF training programmes shared their experiences with living - and working - in the COVID-19 era. They work in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, across commercial, non-profit, and government media, and in a variety of roles, including editors, photojournalists, multimedia storytellers, data journalists, and freelancers. Their first-hand insights were gathered in September and November 2020; desk research provided further analysis and context.

Some of the main themes that emerged from this research include:

• New limits to media freedom - Measures such as reduced access to information, attacks on journalists, government closures of news media, and new laws that limit press freedom can jeopardise lives by limiting reporting - as well as important debate and discussion - about the approaches being taken to tackle the pandemic.
• Reporting challenges and restrictions - The crisis may have encouraged some regimes to double down on efforts to control the news agenda.
• Misinformation and the "infodemic" - There is a hunger for information about this new virus among members of the public. However, especially in the early days, there has also been a great deal of confusion about the nature of this novel coronavirus and the best ways to respond to it.
• Health and safety - Beyond the risk of infection by COVID-19, exacerbated by poor access in some cases to personal protective equipment (PPE), journalists have been attacked in person or online - not just by politicians and public figures but by members of the public, whose actions are emboldened by the anti-press rhetoric deployed by increasing numbers of politicians and other critics.
• Negative economics - COVID-19 has accelerated long-term financial trends that have beset journalism - in particular, print newspapers - for some time. Reduced revenues have contributed to the closing of news outlets, as well as job losses, pay cuts, and furloughs.
• Digital dependency - For journalists who have remained employed, the physical closure of most newsrooms has presented difficulties including access to reliable broadband connections, high data costs, unsuitable equipment, power outages, and reduced pay.
• Mental health and wellbeing - Along with everyone else, journalists have suffered COVID-19's influence on incomes, job security, and work habits and locations, along with uncertainty and concern about an unclear future. Many journalists reporting on the coronavirus will continue to see their personal experiences of the pandemic closely entwined with the stories they are covering.

The report also offers a series of examples of some of the fresh approaches newsrooms have developed in covering COVID-19, in these categories:

• New products and approaches - These efforts reflect the ability of journalists to creatively communicate public health messages and meet audiences where they are. They also stress the importance of traditional media - in particular, radio - as a means to reach large audiences in parts of the Global South.
• Partnerships - These efforts can cover a broad spectrum including investigative journalism, content and/or data sharing, Creative Commons, and research, as well as partnerships between journalism outlets and tech companies.
• Impactful and innovative work - These efforts underline core principles such as accountability reporting, data storytelling, undercover reporting, and support for marginalised communities.

Recommendations specifically related to strengthening journalism and supporting journalists during the pandemic fall into 7 overarching themes:

1. Pandemic-related reporting skills - As one reporter in Uganda said, "Journalists should be equipped with skills on how they can cover and report about the pandemic." These efforts need to go outside capital cities and urban areas to reach a broad cross-section of communities.
2. Advocacy and funding for PPE - TRF alumni spoke of the necessity for "holding organisations accountable for the physical safety of journalists during the pandemic", as well as ensuring the provision of PPE.
3. Greater support for freelancers - In addition to PPE, freelancers need training possibilities, emergency funds for those facing economic hardship, and greater opportunities to produce content for larger, international, publications - given the higher rates these outlets may pay compared to domestic media in the regions this study focused on.
4. Improving access to equipment - One Kenyan journalist encouraged TRF and other media development organisations to consider how they can "support alumni journalists with necessary media equipment such as cameras, recorders, laptops...depending on needs".
5. Training and development - TRF alumni offered recommendations on a broad range of further areas where they felt more training and development was needed. This ranged from "how to identify fake news and dealing with the infodemic" through to "having the tools and weapons to fight the rising dictatorship consolidating its powers over the media" and "online training programmes that can achieve globally-recognised certifications". A couple of alumni also indicated the need for support that can help to diversify the business model.
6. Emphasis on mental health - Respondents shared their views on the imperative of ensuring "psychological and financial support", where appropriate. One welcome byproduct of the pandemic is a greater willingness in some quarters to talk about mental health and journalism.
7. Financial protection for journalism - Efforts to offer some potential stability to the sector could not only help address mental health challenges but also tackle wider information needs.

In conclusion: "The external pressures on journalism are great, but so are the internal pressures on journalism to adapt and evolve. COVID-19 has further reinforced this. As several TRF alumni have noted throughout this report, the pandemic has offered an opportunity to embrace new tools, skills and storytelling techniques. Continuing to harness these possibilities will be important if we are to go on informing and engaging audiences as COVID fatigue kicks in and potentially shapes both our media habits and everyday behaviours in a detrimental manner."