Reporting on panic is not the same as panicked reporting – the media has an important role in the coronavirus pandemic

These are unprecedented times. Until recently, the threat of Covid-19 felt reassuringly distant. Now, it wakes me up each morning, when my radio alarm goes off. As I scroll through endless posts on social media, it has seeped into my afternoons, and taken hold of my evenings.

Yet as we all look to the media for information to help us make sense of the world, many have accused outlets of scaremongering, of prioritising reader numbers over their wellbeing.

Of course, such criticisms are nothing new. Much the same was said about media coverage of the Brexit referendum and its aftermath, for example. Did the media sow division between people, or was it simply a reflection of an already divided society? Neither option acknowledges the reciprocal relationship between the media and the public, each a reflection of the other.

What has become clear to me in recent weeks is that an inherent conflict exists in the reporting of the Covid-19 pandemic: the conflict between the requirement to report the news accurately, and the ethical obligation to ensure that such reporting does not unnecessarily stoke public fear. This is not always an easy conflict to resolve.

The news right now is filled with scary stories. It is not the media that has decided to close borders, ban large gatherings or lock down entire countries. Nor does the media control the rate or manner in which such announcements are made by world leaders. The media’s role is not to water down reality for its readers; reporting on panic does not equal panicked reporting.

The media does, however, have a choice in the language it uses to report these stories. Journalists must listen to readers’ concerns and appreciate that their work will have a real effect on people’s wellbeing. More than ever, reader trust must be at the heart of journalism. Now is not a time for sensationalism; the news is sensational enough. The media’s role in this crisis must be to report what is happening honestly and transparently, to scrutinise the decisions of those in power, and hold them to account where necessary. This is the proper role of a free press in the midst of a global crisis.

The media also has an opportunity to bring us examples of connection at a time of social distancing. A video of people singing out of their windows in a neighbourhood in Italy recently went viral on social media, with many calling it a “beautiful” act of humanity. Meanwhile, many news sites have covered the story of a fitness instructor leading quarantined citizens in Spanish tower blocks in a balcony workout routine.

As we are all asked to work from home, keep away from pubs and theatres, and refrain from physical contact with others, the news will become an all the more important window to those living alone and isolated from human contact. The decision to delay licence fee changes for the over-75s until August is a welcome move for members of our community who are the most vulnerable and rely on the BBC for news and indeed for company.

For journalists, the ethical challenges posed by this pandemic are multiple. My job is to help them navigate those challenges. How we will do so is not yet completely clear – what is clear, however, is that all of us, the media included, are in this together.

Madeline Palacz is The Independent’s editorial compliance manager