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COVID-19 and Digital Humanitarian Action: Trends, Risks and the Path Forward

Zoe Hamilton

London: GSMA (2021), 36 pp.

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The COVID-19 Story: Unmasking China's Global Strategy

Louisa Lim, Julia Bergin, Johan Lidberg

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) (2021), 7 pp.

"China has used Covid to benefit its global image through the activation of existing media dissemination channels overseas and the use of new tactics such as disinformation and misinformation. China’s largescale medical diplomacy campaign has also provided propaganda wins in many developing countr ... ies, burnishing Beijing’s image as a reliable partner. Anecdotal reports indicate that Beijing has stepped up its content offerings, in particular by tailoring content including disinformation for specific countries and translating state-run messages into local languages. In some countries, China was also seen as the purveyor of the most accurate information about the new coronavirus, showing its growing influence over global narratives. For Beijing, Covid diplomacy clearly offers another means through which it can exert its influence. This research shows that countries that are recipients of China’s Covid vaccine clearly have more positive coverage of China, but it cannot draw conclusions as to the factors behind that. This strategy has largely been acceptable to global journalists, who — judging by the results of our focus groups in three separate countries — do not perceive China’s advances as a threat at a national level. Such views are in part due to the incremental nature of the changes, the clumsiness of China’s propaganda effort and the irrelevance of much of the material provided to local audiences. However, the survey does reveal that when viewed globally, there does appear to be more concern about China’s influence, in particular in the Asia Pacific region. The survey indicates that the overall impact of Beijing’s outreach is a redrawing of the global media landscape — one story at a time, one country at a time — shifting the China coverage in a more positive direction. China is using a multi-pronged approach to redraw the information landscape to benefit its own global image. In 2020, Beijing effectively shut down journalistic access to China, through visa denials and freezes, partly driven by international border closures. This had the effect of creating a vacuum in China coverage, creating a demand for stories from China, which could then be filled with statesponsored content already available through content-sharing agreements." (Conclusions, page 7) more

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Information Saves Lives: Addressing COVID-19 in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana and Peru

Internews; USAID (2021), 16 pp.

"Internews designed the HRSM Amazon project to provide adequate information about COVID to vulnerable communities. Each local partner maintained relationships with indigenous communities and remote sectors that received inadequate state health care, had high rates of mis/disinformation, and lacked i ... nformation about the pandemic. Partners adapted project activities to these communities’ needs, providing information in their native languages and supporting community members to lead fact-based content production. For some communities, these trainings offered their first experiences ever in producing communications materials, and partners ensured indigenous values directly informed content creation with an intercultural approach. Internews observed the project’s direct and indirect positive impacts on shifting perspectives of indigenous organizations. For example, SERVINDI reported that when they first conducted their health diagnosis, indigenous communities rejected the vaccine; however, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA) requested more vaccination information in their native languages following the campaign’s implementation. Similarly, communication narratives that placed traditional and Western medicine in dialogue helped communities consider alternative strategies for coping with the pandemic. Throughout HRSM Amazon’s 12-month timeframe, the project consistently evolved to adapt initiatives to community needs. To reach last-mile communities in Colombia and Guyana, for instance, partners stored audio on flash drives to play repeatedly over loudspeakers where internet was not available. The pandemic not only heightened the visibility of digital connectivity challenges, but it particularly amplified the health realities of the most remote indigenous communities ignored by the State. According to local organizations, health problems extend far beyond just COVID infections. Indigenous communities face limited medical presence or no medical supplies on a regular basis; for example, the Araona Territory previously lacked a health center nearby, so the population had not received medical attention for 15 years. CEJIS adapted its project activities to go beyond preventing COVID-19 transmission in the Araona communities, providing radio listeners and national media across Bolivia with health information and updates on the Araona situation. As the project concluded, HRSM Amazon partners left indigenous communities equipped with their own communication initiatives, such as communicator networks and informational podcasts that community members are now continuing to lead independently, setting them up for greater long-term connectivity and information access. Not only will communities be able to more effectively share information among themselves moving forward, but this greater visibility will also help the State understand primary needs among indigenous communities, create culturally relevant health information campaigns, and act with increased respect for indigenous autonomy." (Executive summary) more

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Behavioral Science Tips for COVID-19 Communications

Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU); University of Pennsylvania, Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics; Ideas42.org (2020), 2 pp.

"Human behavior plays a central role in reducing the spread of coronavirus. Communication by government entities and other trusted sources about desirable or mandated behaviors during the pandemic is critical. As policymakers, funders, and program staff, it is our responsibility to ensure that commu ... more

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RCCE Action Plan Guidance: COVID-19 Preparedness and Response

UNICEF (2020), 26 pp.

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Improving the Response to COVID-19: Lessons from the Humanitarian Sector Around Communication, Community Engagement and Participation

Philip Tamminga

CDAC Network (2020), 22 pp.

"Lesson one: Put people and principles at the centre of COVID-19 decision-making, not politics. Lesson two: Reframe discussions about responsibility in a pandemic so that those who are considered vulnerable are a priority rather than an afterthought. Lesson three: Prepare ways to share sophisticated ... more

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Risk Communication & Community Engagement: Somalia COVID19 Rapid Assessment Survey Report (April 2020)

Save the Children (2020), 15 pp.

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Digital Contact Tracing for Pandemic Response: Ethics and Governance Guidance

Jeffrey Kahn (ed.)

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press (2020), xiv, 139 pp.

"There is no “one size fits all” approach to digital contact tracing technologies (DCTT). Technology design should not be static, but it should be capable of evolving depending upon local conditions, new evidence, and changing preferences and priorities. Technology companies alone should not con ... more

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Handbook for Media: The New Coronavirus and COVID-19

Genevieve Hutchinson, Jacqueline Dalton

London: BBC Media Action (2020), 34 pp.

"The new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can spread rapidly and cause a lot of harm. But if communities respond appropriately and quickly, it is possible to limit its spread and the damage it causes. Mass media and communication have an absolutely vital role to play in this effort. Media can: provi ... more

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Fighting Misinformation and Defending Free Expression During COVID-19: Recommendations for States

Access Now (2020), 20 pp.

"In this paper, we provide recommendations for protecting freedom of expression and opinion and the right to impart and receive information to enable governments to fight the COVID-19 health crisis in a rights-respecting manner. There will be an aftermath to the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures go ... more

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Online environmental news stories in India during the COVID-19 pandemic: Reporting the ‘crisis’ and ‘concerns’ of the natural ecosystem

Ram Awtar Yadav

Journal of Environmental Media, volume 1, issue Supplement (2020), pp. 2.1-2.7

"This article is a review of the online news reports about the ‘humanitarian crisis’ that surfaced in India as thousands of migrant workers struggled to return home during the nationwide lockdown triggered by COVID-19. With several newspaper editions unable to print and circulate amid lockdown, ... more

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Radio and Pandemics. COVID-19 in East Africa: How Community and Vernacular Radio Are Influencing Social and Behaviour Change

Daniel Ominde Okoth

Johannesburg: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (2020), 23 pp.

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Fake News, the Media & COVID-19 in West Africa

East Legon: Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) (2020), 11 pp.

"This report briefly examines the phenomenon of fake news in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Anglophone West Africa. It specifically addresses the following areas: fake news trends; how the phenomenon has impacted the work of the media and the fight against the pandemic; measures taken so fa ... more

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COVID-19 Vaccination Communication: Applying Behavioral and Social Science to Address Vaccine Hesitancy and Foster Vaccine Confidence

Sylvia Chou Wen-Ying, Caitlin E. Burgdorf, Anna Gaysynsky, Christine M. Hunter

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2020), 23 pp.

"This report, which was developed in consultation with leading experts in social and behavioral sciences and public health, outlines evidence-informed communication strategies in support of national COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts across federal agencies and their state and local partners. The ... more

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Under the Surface: Covid-19 Vaccine Narratives, Misinformation and Data Deficits on Social Media

Rory Smith, Seb Cubbon, Claire Wardle

First Draft (2020), 95 pp.

"This research demonstrates the complexity of the vaccine information ecosystem, where a cacophony of voices and narratives have coalesced to create an environment of extreme uncertainty. Two topics are driving a large proportion of the current global vaccine discourse, especially around a Covid-19 ... more

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Expanding Connectivity to Fight COVID-19: Recommendations for Governments and Telcos

Eric Null

Access Now (2020), 15 pp.

"Both international and domestic laws recognize that extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures. The COVID-19 pandemic is such an extraordinary circumstance, and it requires that telecommunications companies (“telcos”) and governments take extraordinary measures to ensure that pe ... more

External Link (159)

Report: The Perception of COVID-19 Communication in West Africa (non-Sahel)

Abuja: UNESCO (2020), 25 pp.

"According to the respondents (522 respondents), people pay most attention to "prevention methods from COVID-19" (3.82 out of the full score 5). On the contrary, the respondents pay relatively less attention to "Pandemic Statistics (local, national, and international)" (3.55 out of the full score 5) ... more

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COVID-19 Style Guide for Liberian Journalists

Internews; Liberia Media Development (LMD) Program; Press Union of Liberia (2020), 10 pp.

"This style guide [...] was produced to support Liberian journalists reporting on COVID-19 - to encourage the accurate use of terms and phrases while reporting on the pandemic." (Page 1)

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Awareness Creation and Feedback Collection Through Interactive Radio Shows in Kitui and Makueni: Final Project Report

Nairobi; Cambridge: Africa’s Voices Foundation (2020), 49 pp.

"Using interactive radio dialogues, AVF aims to contribute towards the achievement of World Vision Kenya’s (WVK) Emergency Response in Kitui and Makueni counties project (July-December 2020). More specifically, Africa’s Voices deployed its interactive radio methodology to achieve the following o ... more

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Bolivia, COVID-19: Cómo pasamos la pandemia y qué nos depara el futuro

Instituto para el Desarrollo Rural de Sudamérica (IPDRS); Acción Cultural Loyola (ACLO) (2020), 42 pp.

"En el área rural, se ratifica la predominancia de la radio sobre los otros medios (59% escucha siempre o casi siempre), seguido muy de cerca de la televisión (56% mira televisión) y luego los medios digitales, el Facebook (41% se conecta) es más reconocido como un medio de información que el W ... hatsApp (36% utiliza la aplicación). En el área urbana predomina de lejos la televisión (70% siempre o casi siempre), seguida por el Facebook (60%), el WhatsApp (47%) y la Radio (33%). Un dato importante, es que los que no utilizan nunca los medios digitales en el área rural están aproximadamente entre el 33%; la radio y televisión, alrededor del 17%. En el área urbana quienes no utilizan la radio son un 20%, y la televisión, un 5%, y el promedio entre los que no utilizan Facebook ni WhatsApp es de 13% [...] Los medios por los que se informa del COVID-19, son más diversos y con características muy particulares por sector y por región. En general, la tendencia de los medios de comunicación es similar a los medios que se utilizan normalmente, aunque aquí hay una mayor predominancia de la televisión (26%), seguida por la radio (21%) y luego el Facebook (19%). Sin embargo, existen otros agentes que sumados hacen un 24%, esos son amigos / vecinos / familiares (7%), otros varios, entre ellos políticos: ONG (7%), dirigentes de organizaciones sociales (6%) y finalmente promotores de salud (4%). En algunos departamentos, estos otros medios, llegan o pasan del 20%, como es el caso de Cochabamba, Pando, Chuquisaca y el Beni. Aquí se ve más nítidamente la importancia de la radio y televisión, es creciente de acuerdo a los grupos de edad, los mayores la utilizan con mayor preferencia que los medios virtuales. Este grupo también se informa del COVID-19 en un significativo 30% por esos otros medios que se indicaron como son los amigos / vecinos / familiares, dirigentes de organizaciones sociales y finalmente promotores de salud [...] En general, la televisión es considerada el medio más confiabilidad (28%), la radio se mantiene cercana (24%), en cambio bajan los medios digitales como Facebook (15%), y WhatsApp (8%) se disputa la confiabilidad con los amigos / vecinos / familiares (7%), promotores de salud (7%), dirigentes de organizaciones sociales (6%) y finalmente las ONG (5%). Bajo ese criterio los políticos no lograron ni un punto porcentual. Existen nuevamente diferencias entre el área rural y urbana; en el área rural la confiabilidad se la lleva la radio con un 29% contra un 17% en el área urbana. En cambio, en el área urbana la televisión recibió un puntaje de confiabilidad del 33% de la población contra un 24% a la radio. El Facebook recibió una calificación de 20% en el área urbana y de 11% en el área rural." (Página 6-7) more