In a world accustomed to 24-hour news coverage, how did broadcast media square up to the challenge of covering the pandemic?
COVID-19 has proven to be one of the most serious challenges any of us have faced, across the globe and across all sectors of society and industry.
In this event, a panel of experts working in broadcast media and science communication come together to discuss their experiences. From the logistical and practical difficulty of reporting from COVID wards and the technological complexities of producing news programmes with remote guests and remote presenters, to the physical and emotional toll on reporters and crew, the challenges of covering the pandemic have been wide-ranging and vast.
Amid these challenges, the importance of broadcast media to our understanding of science has been thrown into sharp contrast, as broadcast news outlets have taken on the challenge of sharing important public health messaging and combatting a seemingly endless stream of disinformation since the pandemic began.
This is a unique opportunity to hear from experts and journalists working very much within the epicentre of the pandemic, who include:
- Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter—Chair, Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, University of Cambridge.
- Samira Ahmed—Award-winning journalist and broadcaster.
- Zora Kuettner—Photographer, filmmaker and producer of BAFTA-nominated documentary Surviving Covid (2020).
- Deborah Cohen—Science Editor, ITV News, previously Health Correspondent, Newsnight and Investigations Editor, British Medical Journal.
- Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert—Professor of Vaccinology, Oxford University and co-founder of Vaccitech.
- Fiona Fox (chair)—Founding director of the Science Media Centre and author of Beyond the Hype: The Inside Story of Science’s Biggest Media Controversies.
