Media plays a central role in people’s everyday lives. This is very clear from the results of various surveys carried out from time to time which portray the amount of time people spend watching television, surfing on internet, using social media and reading newspapers and magazines. The message passes through and has an impact as much as one invests in developing the material.
The local scenario in media communication has developed so fast over the past years to give various opportunities in communication. Effective communication is essential in health and is even more important especially in a crisis, where the news media play a critical role in amplifying or attenuating the public’s perception of the situation and the risk posed. Media serves as a key link in the risk communication process though a top-down and bottom-up approach.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the media has played an essential role in society and has, throughout all phases, reminded everyone of the importance of quality and reliable information. Even as important is the handling of misinformation and flourishing rumours. The media houses in Malta and journalists have been doing a good job in covering the COVID-19 pandemic.
A solid relationship of transparency and trust has been built along the years and this investment has proved fruitful in the communication during the pandemic.
Times of Malta has been a trustworthy source of information – accurate, timely, sensitive and considerate of the situation. The relationship built between journalists and experts with a history of reliable and scientifically rigorous work ensured accurate reporting.
During the pandemic, journalists have covered the daily briefings diligently – many of them through virtual meetings from home in times of high community transmission. During uncertain times, newsrooms have ensured to keep the public informed and have made pandemic coverage a priority. At times, journalists and health experts were struggling when we knew little about COVID-19. Yet the factual knowledge at the time was presented to the public. Scientific advice is frequently changing, so media was seeking expert advice to correct and update the coverage as necessary.
Over the past weeks, Times of Malta has continued to support media coverage on health through a column called Ask Charmaine where the general public send questions and replies are published through written replies published online and on print media. Another medium being used for Ask Charmaine is Facebook live. The key feature is engagement with the general public, encouraging them to send questions ahead or during the live broadcast. The audience can like, and comment and they will have direct replies to questions as time permits.
Media has great potential in assuring population health. Print and broadcast news media outlets, radio and television, and the internet, constitute influential channels through which people gather their information, accurate or not, about health. Media houses though experts have the responsibility of ensuring that reliable, factual and timely information is transmitted to the public.
At a time when media houses such as Times of Malta were faced with challenges posed by the pandemic – financial, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, unknowns – they rose to the occasion and fully supported the health authorities to ensure that the general public was kept up-to-date with all the information… and Times of Malta managed to keep up the tradition of never missing the publication of the daily newspaper.
Charmaine Gauci is Superintendent of Public Health.
This article first appeared in a commemorative supplement marking 85 years of Times of Malta. Contributions will be published online every day between August 11 and August 20. Read other contributions.