Terminology for Medical Journalism: Terminological Resources, Neology, and the COVID-19 Syndemic

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the terminological needs of journalists reporting medical news in the context of the current COVID-19 syndemic. It presents the work context – medical journalism – and the professional group selected – dubbed ‘occasional medical journalists’, a subset of medical journalists – and analyses their terminological needs. It further offers a critical description of a selection of terminological and terminographic resources currently available to the professional category at hand, highlighting room for improvement. Lastly, it briefly explores the interdependence between the professional group, the syndemic, and neology, and provides a sample ad hoc terminological entry conceived to facilitate the correct use of Coronavirus-related terminology in the press.