Craig Silverman, media editor for BuzzFeed News, explained the pandemic as a “media termination event”. The news market is facing threats to its liberty, and journalists are dealing with risks to their security. Apart from dealing with continuing digital interruptions, the news industry is likewise facing the consequences of the economic disaster, which is impacting the revenue stream. Many newsrooms are reporting lay-offs, furloughs and closures brought on by COVID-19 The growing online culture will have an enduring effect on the news ecology.
When the news media goes through an unmatched stress, it is fair to anticipate governments not to include new concerns. In his insightful essay in Foreign Policy, Jeffrey Smith and Nic Cheeseman stated authoritarians are exploiting the crisis we remain in, and democracies must not do the same. They composed: “The apparently endless cascade of alarming headings has overwhelmed citizens internationally, triggering intrinsic survival systems and leading people to focus on the health and wellness of those closest to us. Into deep space created by this uncertainty– in which worry has often trumped reason– stride the world’s authoritarian leaders.