In our non-stop coverage of the media side of the coronavirus pandemic over the past few months, we have trained our lens on its more troubling aspects: From misinformation being spread by citizens, journalists and governments alike to the war of narratives being waged by great powers.
But COVID-19 has also brought out the best in the fourth estate: People who are producing vital coverage, sometimes designed and delivered in new ways to help us understand a story laden with complexities.
In this special edition of The Listening Post, we track four path-breaking media projects from four different parts of the world, each of them using a different medium.
From the United States and Brazil – countries whose presidents have repeatedly misinformed their electorates – Flo Phillips and Johanna Hoes hear from two medical experts-turned-broadcasters respectively; one through his podcast, the other over YouTube.
Later in the episode Daniel Turi takes us to Europe – virtually, of course – and a media aggregator that bypasses Silicon Valley’s advertising-driven algorithms and onto smart COVID-19 analysis you might otherwise miss.
But Meenakshi Ravi starts the programme where the coronavirus story began, in China, where a Beijing-based magazine is proving that, even with the authorities ready to pounce, it can produce valuable journalism on the biggest news story of our time.
Contributors:
Zhan Zhang – research fellow, China Media Observatory
Abdul El-Sayed – creator and host, America Dissected and author, Healing Politics: A Doctor’s Journey Into the Heart of our Political Epidemic
Atila Iamarino – science communicator and co-host, Nerdologia
Evgeny Morozov – creator, The Syllabus
Produced by: Meenakshi Ravi, Flo Phillips, Daniel Turi and Ryan Kohls
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