Many scientific fields have much to offer on #covid19
Given news is most widely used source of information about pandemic, media+communication research is arguably one of them
Yet e.g. seems no media+communications researchers among of 120+ SAGE and SPI-B members in the UK
3/4
Why does this matter? Because there is an opportunity cost to getting problems wrong and when we want to understand them, we need to involve at least some people w/domain expertise and track record of empirical research - including on role of news and media in #covid19 crisis
4/4
A few reminders of gap between much policy discussion and much academic work
The @EU_Commission published its proposed European Democracy Action Plan yesterday.
One observation: disinformation parts are very focused on foreign interference and largely avoids recognizing domestic actors, in particular fact that misinformation often comes from the top 1/4
Foreign interference is one important form of disinformation. But it is not the most widespread or necessarily most consequential.
HLG report stressed domestic actors, including politicians, in several places ec.europa.eu/digital-single…
It is clear few will touch this problem
2/4
We can dance arounds this all we will, but problem remain real, in EU too. Some things are clearly false, harmful, and malign. But often, what one person sees as destructive lies, others will see as political speech. Powerful actors like to avoid recognizing this complication 3/4
So, yesterday the @EU_Commission published its action plan with proposals to "Support Recovery and Transformation" in European media, including news.
Sprawling plan for sprawling industry estimated at €193b/year, of which news publishers only a small part.
A few highlights 1/9
One ambition is to foster investment by creating "MEDIA INVEST", with a target "to leverage investments of €400 million over a 7-year period" in hope of "making a significant contribution to addressing the gap in equity financing" (to help transform a €193b/year industry)
2/9
Also, more money for "Creative Europe programme" to €2.2b in 2021-2027 budget (so €300m/year), and "pending finalisation of negotiations, the programme will include for the first time actions focused on media freedom and pluralism, journalism, and media literacy." Exciting! 3/9
First lesson - our UK data suggests most people are informed, cautious, and willing to take further measures, in part thanks to journalism 2/5
Second lesson - in the UK, information inequality has grown throughout the crisis, around e.g. age, gender, class, as initial surge in news use dissipated. We don't have data on ethnicity but would expect similar pattern. 3/5
Our @risj_oxford research suggests pandemic is accelerating move to more digital, mobile, and platform-dominated environment where news capture only a small share of attention+advertising 1/5
Meanwhile, many have flocked to already big platforms during the crisis, making it even more important to look at competition issues - but publishers should remember the purpose of competition policy is to protect competition, not specific competitors reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research/w… 2/5
And new policies will not in themselves change reality that news is small part of media use. comScore data suggests all news combined accounts for about 3% of time spent in France, and 5 biggest publishers account about half that – leaving 500+ with just a tiny sliver each. 3/5
Here are three values I think most journalists would like to base their work on
1) Seek truth and report it 2) Work with moral clarity 3) Serve the whole public
I wonder whether journalism faces inescapable trilemma that may require tradeoffs between different aspirations?
1/9
Recognizing there are irreducibly plural values does not entail relativism, simply recognizing sometimes we have to make choices btw things that are valuable in different and sometimes incommensurable ways and can't always have everything. (Recognize this from your own life?) 2/9
It's attractive-even seductive-to imagine that different good things we might want can all be accomplished at the same time. But can they?
Looking at the US right now, find it hard to imagine how journalism can cover Trump with moral clarity while also reaching whole public.
3/9