A Positive Result: How has Coronavirus impacted Digital Journalism?
A look into the positive effects the coronavirus has had on the consumption and appreciation of online news.
Now, I couldn’t have a journalism blog in 2020 and not talk about the topic that has dominated the news for this past year, coronavirus! The coronavirus pandemic has changed life far more than anyone could have anticipated. Not only has it changed how we go about our everyday lives, but it has also changed the importance of certain things, journalism, being one. As it can be argued that, it has never been more important that we are given accurate information and constant updates by the press.
Scholar, Tony Harcup said that, “News is the very essence of Journalism: its heartbeat. A free flow of news is widely regarded as being essential for society.” I agree with Harcup’s statement and I think that in times such as these, news reporting is essential. Not only do people rely on the news for accurate updates, they also look to the news to inform them on how to behave. I myself have become far more interested in the news over the last year, often finding myself using my spare time to scroll through articles, in an attempt to understand the latest restrictions and regulations.
Having these resources at our fingertips is amazing and many more people are seeing this! Ofcom, the regulator for communications services, has been reporting on the effects of coronavirus on online behaviour since the outbreak at the start of this year. In their, December 2020 report, Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption in the UK, it is highlighted that Apple’s news app has had 2.6m more adult visitors in October 2020 than in October 2019. This dramatic increase is just one example of the influx in viewings of online news over this past year.
However, it’s not just that we are consuming more news throughout the pandemic but that we are also appreciating it more. “World Without News”, a study commissioned by Newsworks, revealed that 66% of people say they “appreciate and value journalism more since the global coronavirus pandemic began.” This is a great result for the journalism industry as more people are actively engaging with news and appreciating the information being given to them!
I decided to conduct a series of polls on my Instagram page to see if my follower’s opinions coincided with the results of the Newsworks study. The results were clear, 88% of my followers voted that they had been consuming more news and 75% had a greater appreciation for news journalism compared to before the pandemic.
The response to both the Newsworks study and my own small scale research shows that people really are seeking out more news during the pandemic. It also shows the growth in appreciation had for the industry.
Both of these results have been directly affected by the publics need for information in the pandemic and their willingness to actively seek out this information online. This increased need for information is likely new to lots of the general public. Never before has my generation encountered a situation with such catastrophic global effects. The situation is also constantly changing both nationally and globally meaning that it is key to constantly be getting up to date information on the current state of the virus.
This increase in appreciation and consumption throughout the pandemic has also shown an increase in those willing to pay to subscribe to news products. The rise in sales has been deemed the “coronabump” as the bump in figures was caused by the surge of people wanting information on the virus.
News companies are now faced with the question, what will happen when the pandemic comes to an end? In light of this they are looking for ways to keep the new audience the “coronabump” has sent there way.
All in all, it looks like one good thing to come from these strange and difficult times is a greater appreciation for the journalism industry! I look forward to seeing how this trend develops in the upcoming months and whether trends in reader behaviours will continue to shift.
