We are pleased to announce the publication of the final PANCOPOP project report, which summarizes the key research findings and provides a range of recommendations for professionals involved in health crisis communication, including journalists, public health professionals and media regulators. The report is available open access, in two languages: English and Portuguese.
While the experience with the COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to several practical recommendations, these have yet to fully account for the new challenges brough by the changing political and information environment. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred in an environment where populist movements and attitudes were on the rise, distrust of elites and expert knowledge increasingly common, and where several countries were led by politicians who downplayed the health threat and challenged expert guidance. At the same time, the information environment has grown increasingly complex and difficult to navigate, with trustworthy information about health threats and preventative measures circulating alongside conspiracy theories. These changes have created an environment in which health information and expert guidance are likely to become subject to greater political contestation, and where citizens are likely to be exposed to health misinformation.
This document offers recommendations for tackling these new challenges, alongside several examples of best practices. These are aimed at three main groups of stakeholders who play important roles in ensuring the effectiveness of health crisis communication: public health authorities and government officials, media regulators and policy makers, and news organisations and journalists. They will also be of relevance to think thanks and other actors involved in public health.
If you have any questions about the report, please contact the project administrator Brigita Valantinaviciute at b.valantinaviciute@lboro.ac.uk.
