Social Media and Digital Information Sources in News Coverage of Crisis, Disaster, and Emergency Situations

Abstract

Journalists play a key role in digital emergency situations. In the midst of the chaos generated by a pandemic like the COVID-19 crisis, the information transmitted by the journalist is crucial to save lives and minimize damage. This chapter explores journalists' reliance on and trust in official and unofficial digital information sources. Specifically, the authors explore the authorities' official information sources involved in crisis management and the unofficial information sources (i.e., victims and those affected). The research suggests a model for journalists' relationship with their digital information sources in covering crises by exploring dependence, type of contact, trust, and purpose. It also synthesizes the main communication errors of the public authorities that manage the response to the crisis.