Vol. 7 No. 14 (2020): Within the health crisis. Freedom of speech and the right to communicate against fake news and manipulation

En la crisis sanitaria. La libertad de expresión y el derecho a la comunicación frente a los bulos y manipulaciones

Coordinators: Carmen Costa-Sánchez (Universidade da Coruña) y Carles Pont Sorribes (Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona).

In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, its impact not only reaches the health, social and economic spheres, but also the communication field. In this situation of health crisis, citizens need information to be able to adapt and understand what is happening. To reduce uncertainty and fear. Humanity has gone through similar crises, even worse. However, there are three aspects that make the emergence of the Covid-19 different from others: globalisation, acceleration, and the overabundance of information, often plagued by false news.

Providing information in the event of a public health crisis is not only a necessity for citizens, but also an obligation for health institutions. Citizens have the right to know about the health problems of the community when they imply a risk to public health or to their individual health, and the legislation includes the right to have this information disseminated in true, understandable and adequate terms for the protection of health. Institutional communication is facing an important challenge in these weeks in explaining the measures to be adopted, the management carried out and the scenarios to come.

The current crisis is also a challenge for journalists and media. The traditional and new media are becoming the main channels of access to information on the pandemic situation, as well as channels for exchanging realities, emotions and opinions. The consolidation of social media and messaging applications allows the instant transmission of news of the global health crisis through different formats. The Coronavirus has revealed certain vulnerabilities of post-modern societies that have a high volume of information that stimulates uncertainty.

Moreover, in this context, so-called "fake news" finds a breeding ground for proliferation. Hoaxes about the origin of the virus, false remedies against the disease and even a false official bulletin have circulated massively, with more or less credibility among society. The concept of the hoax virus has also been used, an Anglicism that appeared with the Internet and which serves to define a lie that wants to be spread in order to deceive the recipient and which has a theoretically serious appearance.

How are citizens informing themselves in the current complex situation? Which sources have gained or lost credibility? How are they using traditional media and social networks? How are health institutions communicating? How is the media addressing the coverage of the pandemic? This monograph seeks to analyse and reflect on the coronavirus crisis, taking into account the multiple dimensions offered by the study of communication and journalism.

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