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CITIZEN JOURNALISM RAISES HOPE AMID CORONA VIRUS THREATS IN INDIA

  • April 2020
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Mithilesh Kumar Choubey at Jamshedpur Research Review
Mithilesh Kumar Choubey
  • Jamshedpur Research Review
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Abstract

With increasing proliferation of Covid -19, main stream media has become completely dependent on government data. In such a situation, citizen journalism has come up as a big preference to the news industry. The article presented here, explains the increasing importance, challenges and future of citizen journalism in the present time. Till yesterday, we had considered social media as an enemy of peace and social harmony, today the same social media is coming out as a great help to fight COVID-19. Millions of social media users are sharing Covid-19 related news and latest updates to create aware all across the country. They are countering fake news, hate speeches, and blocking misleading information. It is indeed a new kind of democratic citizen journalism is growing amid the threat of Covid-19 threat. Key words: Covid-19, citizen journalism, Social Media, creating awareness, addressing local problems, reporting against corrupt traders, benchmarking democratic journalism
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Jamshedpur Research Review- Govt. Regd., Refereed, Peer Reviewed, Multi-
Disciplinary Research Journal
CITIZEN JOURNALISM RAISES HOPE AMID
CORONA VIRUS THREATS IN INDIA
Dr. Mithilesh Kumar Choubey


 ,editorjrr@gmail.com, 9334077378
 
!          "        #
         ! $ 
   %        
#
$!!!
!!    
&'(")*
! $!
+   +  " 
+#

Key words: Covid-19, citizen journalism, Social Media, creating
awareness, addressing local problems, reporting against corrupt
traders, benchmarking democratic journalism
Journalistic crisis in India
    
      " 
 ! $
,-  *.      /012
        
$(3
"  *      
4
*      $  
- 
  ,*.   5  *    
*"
"        -  "
  +     
  !    
    
6    
          
     

6      
          ,-
.7! 

  "    
          
"
6
    
 
+" 
"        #
        
%        
!  #    
      #
        
 !    
ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN NEWS
WORLD
5    !      
        
 $ 3 //0/0  +
 "

!3+
   
"    +    !

3+
 !
ISSN: 2320-2750 March-April 2020 YEAR -VIII VOLUME-
II ISSUE XXXXI (438
Jamshedpur Research Review- Govt. Regd., Refereed, Peer Reviewed, Multi-
Disciplinary Research Journal
/ * /0/0     $ +
!9
     
 ! :  " 
 
#         
"
$  !!    
!
   ! !

          &  
*          
        
          
    !   $!  
  +      
 +
"          +    #


3!#
    ;    !
+
!
 !  
     !      
  &      +  !
!          
   
<!
      +        $
  !  +    
! 
 &   
 =1
#
  #
 
    "    9  
      
#"
!!
"
 ! %  
     !
 
 !  !  
%  

IS JOURNALISM BEING
DEMOCRATIZED IN INDIA?
"      +  "   
!! !
  !    !  !
  !    $!  
   !   
      
>>
  !  +        "
    ! 

 
  #       

        
"      
        7+!
      $
      !  
  !      
$!
       
&    
?        
        

Democratic journalism   
   ! 

+ ! >

$   
   !   
      +  
    )    5  $
9        
     
        !  
  @      @  $
9      
        
!        
!        
   
! $   
 
  !   A
!        
   
+  ! ? 
  /0
  
+    !    
  
 '  0 
ISSN: 2320-2750 March-April 2020 YEAR -VIII VOLUME-
II ISSUE XXXXI (448
Jamshedpur Research Review- Govt. Regd., Refereed, Peer Reviewed, Multi-
Disciplinary Research Journal
)
!+
  *! 
       
  !    
          
?
      
!          
      
!  &  ?    
         
+        
&
>! 
?    +  
      +  
     !
            
   +  
"    +      
!
+!
    !  $  
9B
?$$
  
 %
 !

'  /C *  /0/
-    "    
  +   )    
    !    C0
 
$  +        /  !
4+4!
  $      
!      !
  "  +
+    
          !  3
          +
&

D          "  
E0 *  # 
        
&      $!  
        
  +    
  3        
 
+4
      !  
    +  F  
+    #  
+        
"!
  +  #  
 #   
#+

$.
)  "        
      
        !
      !.  
    
%!  2EE    
!/0/02$:
.
+          !
 ! 
B/G)"!/0
ISSN: 2320-2750 March-April 2020 YEAR -VIII VOLUME-
II ISSUE XXXXI (458
Jamshedpur Research Review- Govt. Regd., Refereed, Peer Reviewed, Multi-
Disciplinary Research Journal
$        
!    &
      
+$+
  !    
         5  
          +
  
  "  4      
 #
   $ 
  +      
4          
+H(
8          

"          
        "    
9  >+> 
>>$

$          
  +    "
!3
    + 
  !   
"
 ! 20I ) 
!  +  
5      
"
        

B/G3?"
ISSN: 2320-2750 March-April 2020 YEAR -VIII VOLUME-
II ISSUE XXXXI (468
Jamshedpur Research Review- Govt. Regd., Refereed, Peer Reviewed, Multi-
Disciplinary Research Journal
?GGJJJJ/KEL0KJ +
J
But everything is not good: ?
          
 + ! 0
*!
     
        +
      $   

 !   !   
       !
F          
"!$
    
    !  $    
      !    
      
#$
          
 D+ 
      "    
       
 !
      !    +
- 
 
          
#"
$ !  !
   "   
     3
        +  
       "
    /!  
+  &    3 
+
  +  )    M+  
      
$        )
      +
    + 
++   
        !  +
    !  ?  
+E
"  
    
         
)$
    
        
      
)
       
/! 
+#
" 
 
    >>    ,.  
)
   $ 
        
  )    A  4
    D  $  5  N+
$      @$      
LK
ISSN: 2320-2750 March-April 2020 YEAR -VIII VOLUME-
II ISSUE XXXXI (478
Jamshedpur Research Review- Govt. Regd., Refereed, Peer Reviewed, Multi-
Disciplinary Research Journal
  "        
@E
MIGRATION, SOCIAL MEDIA AND
LOCKDOWN
3        
+
    
      
  
        $
          
        !
$ 
  !  "      
!    !      )  
        
7+!#
    

CITIZEN JOURNALISM CURBS THE
ARBITRARINESS OF MAINSTREAM
MEDIA
"
        "
  !        
        )
7$!!
 " 
      
  5        
        
        
!5
          
!        
 N &   
      
  )  
   & 
!
*"
       
     

#"

#!
&!! 
!"
#
 &  "  
#    "      
#    !  
     
  !  "        
      
      $!    
+ 
        +
O        
    #   "  
  +    !
! +  $ 
      
          
    
 3 # 
  !    !
  "          
              

#      
 !   $!
+
    
"
#    
    "  D  
!      D
        
  !  +    
$!  
$"  .      
!

$!
   # 
D      #
        !
"*!
        

#)
    

     
!$!
      #
  3    
   &
    
    
    !  
!*!
ISSN: 2320-2750 March-April 2020 YEAR -VIII VOLUME-
II ISSUE XXXXI (488
Jamshedpur Research Review- Govt. Regd., Refereed, Peer Reviewed, Multi-
Disciplinary Research Journal
      
+      +  
   D     
"
 #  
 !
!!
!
PPP
References:
 Obar, Jonathan A.; Wildman,
Steve (2015). "Social media
denition and the governance
challenge: An introduction to the
special
issue". Telecommunications
Policy. 39 (9): 745–
750. doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2015.0
7.014. SSRN 2647377.
/ Kaplan Andreas M.; Haenlein
Michael (2010). "Users of the
world, unite! The challenges and
opportunities of social
media" (PDF). Business
Horizons. 53(1):
61. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09
.003. Archived from the
original (PDF) on 11-11-24.
C ?5+
 "'37
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Q?
A!4D)
H8CCC11
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GJJJ0KR +J/
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L  5NH/
3/0/08
1 !H!L/00E8@3
*A)&#
@PressThink
3//0/0
2 GJJJ
JC0E22J
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CJ/JJJ

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F"
"C
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ISSN: 2320-2750 March-April 2020 YEAR -VIII VOLUME-
II ISSUE XXXXI (498
000

Supplementary resource (1)

CITIZEN JOURNALISM RAISES HOPE AMID CORONA VIRUS THREATS IN INDIA
Preprint
April 2020
Mithilesh Kumar Choubey
... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Health Crises and Media Discourses in Sub-Saharan Africa
Book
Full-text available
  • May 2022
This is an open-access book that brings together leading scholars and critical discourses on political, economic, legal, technological, socio-cultural and systemic changes and continuities intersecting media and health crises in Sub-Saharan Africa. The volume extensively discusses COVID-19 but it also covers other epidemics, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS as well as "silent" health crises such as mental health---simmering across the subcontinent. The chapters fill knowledge gaps, highlight innovations, and unpack the complexities surrounding the media ecosystem in times of health crises. They explore, among other issues, the politics of public health communication; infodemics; existential threats to media viability; draconian legislations; threats to journalists/journalism; COVID-related entrepreneurship, marginalization, and more. This is a timely resource for academics, advocacy groups, media practitioners and policymakers working on crises and media reporting, not just in Africa but anywhere in the global South. The book cover and contents can be accessed here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-95100-9
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Face-to Face with COVID-19: Experiences of Ghanaian Frontline Journalists Infected with the Virus
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected journalists around the world. Media houses have had to make drastic adjustments to the impact of challenges wrought by the pandemic on their operations. Ghanaian media houses also faced similar challenges and disruptions. News reporters and journalists felt the impact of these disruptions with many Ghanaian journalists losing their jobs. This study used affective-emotive theoretical perspective to examine how the possibility of contracting COVID-19 could affect or trigger emotions of fear and anxiety among Ghanaian journalists. The study set two main objectives (1) what workplace safety policies and protocol guidelines were established in newsrooms to mitigate the spread of the virus and (2) to what extent did journalists fear for the safety and well-being of close family members because of their journalism work. The study conducted in-depth unstructured interviews with five journalists who had recovered from the COVID-19infections. The study found that despite high degrees of fear and anxiety among respondents about on-assignments and workplace infections, respondents still maintained ‘emotional detachment’ to attain objectivity in news reporting. Respondents also expressed high degrees of fear of exposing family members to the virus. Keywords COVID-19 · Emotional detachment · Emotional stress · Ghanaian journalists Introduct
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Face-to Face with COVID-19: Experiences of Ghanaian Frontline Journalists Infected with the Virus
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
Journalists around the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, media houses have had to make drastic adjustments to the impact of challenges wrought by the pandemic on their operations. Ghanaian media houses also faced similar challenges and disruptions. News reporters and journalists felt the impact of these disruptions with many Ghanaian journalists losing their jobs. This study used affective-emotive theoretical perspective to examine how the possibility of contracting COVID-19 could affect or trigger emotions of fear and anxiety among Ghanaian journalists. The study set two main objectives (1) what workplace safety policies and protocol guidelines were established in newsrooms to mitigate the spread of the virus and (2) to what extent did journalists fear for the safety and well-being of close family members because of their journalism work. The study conducted in-depth unstructured interviews with five journalists who had recovered from the COVID-19 infections. The study found that despite high degrees of fear and anxiety among respondents about on-assignments and workplace infections, respondents still maintained ‘emotional detachment’ to attain objectivity in news reporting. Respondents also expressed high degrees of fear of exposing family members to the virus.
View
... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Media Discourses on Gender in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic in Zimbabwe
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
Media institutions always have a public obligation to disseminate news that is fair, balanced and gender sensitive, more so in times of crisis. Within the context of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, it is important that media provide a diverse, balanced and gender sensitive coverage that reflects existing inequalities in a society rather than merely prioritising statistics of the infection and its death rates. Informed by poststructuralist feminist theory and normative roles of the media, this chapter investigates the discursive parameters of gendered media discourses within the context of COVID-19. This chapter presents results from a case study of two main daily newspapers—the Chronicle and NewsDay —circulating in the country by investigating their representation of gender. Findings indicate that while there was generally more coverage of issues affecting women, both newspapers reinforced deeply rooted biases in their reporting. The findings further show that the emphasis was on gender-based violence with statistics indicating that it was on the rise during lockdown. We argue that newspapers must always strive for sensitive reporting that challenges hierarchical gender relations if the transformative potential of the media is to be realised.
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Citizen Journalism and Health Communication in Pandemics’ Prevention and Control
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
Citizen journalism has introduced new ways of communicating and engaging the public. It has further created a shift in technology that enabled individuals to create and access more news faster than before. Thus, communicating health crisis no longer depends on the use of conventional media. The disruption in the communication landscape means that more people are now more conversant with the use of social media to create or access news. Citizen journalism has unlocked the information gateway and made pandemic reporting more viral and instantaneous, although with some shortcomings. Thus, news about the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic is readily available on the Internet and social media. This chapter, therefore, examines the impact of citizen journalism and health communication in pandemics’ prevention and control. Underpinned by the Health Belief Model and Theory of Reasoned Action, the chapter offers an insight into how citizen journalism could be effectively employed to communicate the prevention and control of pandemics. Relevant literature was systematically reviewed, and it shows that access to pandemic messages no longer follows the conventional process of news making and consumption as many people now actively albeit, unprofessionally, participate in these processes. Howbeit, the dangers of such unprofessional practice are admitted.
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
‘Weapons of Oppressors’: COVID-19 Regulatory Framework and its Impact on Journalism Practices in Southern Africa
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
The chapter examines the regulatory frameworks that were put in place by governments in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact it had on journalism practices in the region. African governments with the help of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines crafted laws and policies which prohibited gatherings. These measures limited the conduct of journalism, i.e. gathering and dissemination of news, during the pandemic. While these laws were implemented to avert the virus, we argue in this chapter that some regimes used the pandemic to muzzle the media. We analyse laws that were gazetted in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and South Africa to combat/ address COVID-19, and evaluate their impact on the practice of journalism in the region through the lens of securitisation theory. The securitisation theory indicates that by declaring something or phenomenon a threat, it ensures that such a phenomenon is moved out of the sphere of normal politics into the realm of emergency politics, where it can be dealt with without the normal (democratic) rules and regulations of policymaking. Methodologically, the chapter uses document analysis which is the systematic evaluation and review of documents. The study found that Zimbabwe and Tanzania enacted laws meant to restrict journalistic practice and information management flow under the cover of the pandemic. The laws enacted were targeted at critical and oppositional media. South Africa was a complete opposite as journalists were capacitated by the state to function properly during the pandemic even when other citizens’ rights were limited during the lockdown period.
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Political Economy of COVID-19 and the Implication on Media Management and Sustainability in Nigeria
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
This study investigates the political economy of government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and its implications for media management and survival. It is a qualitative research that relies on primary and secondary sources for data gathering. The study discovers that the ungainly and discriminatory political economy of the Nigerian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unfriendly to the media as it is isolated and made the media operating environment unfavorable for growth and sustainability. The study also reveals that the past business model where the media render service before being paid and disseminate news content in hard copy while relying on old news consumers can no longer suffice during the COVID-19 era. Conclusively, the study highlights some coping strategies for media managers which include pulling resources together as through a consortium, merger, and acquisition of outfits with similar editorial focus, raising funds from the stock market, changing the business model of service before pay and digitization of contents. The study recommends that the Nigerian government in conjunction with the international development agencies should launch a media recovery plan (MRP) as was done in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France to stabilize the industry and reposition it to fulfill its statutory roles in national development.
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Media Viability, Covid-19 and the ‘Darwinian’ Experience in Southern Africa: Glimpses from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
Political economy predicates suggest that media viability is about the influence and balance between politics and economics of media systems. It is about survival and control. This logic informs this study, which seeks to gain insights into the impact of Covid-19 on media viability in Southern Africa. For decades, the media industry in Southern Africa, and indeed globally, has been trapped in an existential struggle—experiencing, for instance, the steady demise of traditional business models amidst rapid technological developments and proliferation of digital communication, waning trust in legacy media, and an unconducive political and legislative environment. In this qualitative study, we learn from leading industry experts from eight countries about the wide-ranging impact and paradoxes of the pandemic on the media industry—a phenomenon some have referred to as ‘a Darwinian moment’ or ‘media extinction event’. In this study media-house size and ownership, trustworthiness and ability to fully switch to digital operations were key to survival, as was the need for newsroom and work-form restructuring. The study raises concerns over the Covid-19-exacerbated dangers regarding journalists’ welfare and cautions against the deepening threats to press freedom, the further marginalisation of minority groups and the relegation of the media’s public interest role.
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Framing Poverty in Nigerian Online Media Reports on the Inaugural Neglected Tropical Diseases Day
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are so called because they affect the poor people in the low income tropical and subtropical regions of the world which do not draw much global attention. The diseases can be totally cured with adequate clinical interventions; however, their persistence, in spite of the availability of drugs, brought about the dedication of January 30 as a world awareness day to focus on them. This chapter looks into online media reports about the day in Nigeria, the country with 45% of the disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 34 reports turned up by a Google search were sampled. Using framing theory, the chapter identifies how the reports, relying on the testimonies of medical experts, rightly highlight poverty as the major driver of the diseases. They are, however, silent about the need to eradicate poverty in order to eradicate the diseases, thus neglecting it (poverty) at a critical point. This creates an amputated frame that does not deliver on how the incidence of the diseases can be holistically tackled. Journalists are urged to conduct independent research when reporting on technical issues in order to complement the testimonies of experts and thus complete their frames.
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... Simply put, in today's nomenclature these are citizen journalists, a new breed of scribes (Noor 2016). These non-professionals, ordinary citizens, play an active role in collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information at the grassroots level (Choubey 2020). ...
... On its positive side, anonymity provides an opportunity for whistle-blowers to share confidential content with the public without jeopardising their own safety. For instance, citizen journalists in India and Bangladesh risk being attacked or even murdered when revealing sensitive information (Choubey 2020). This argument concurs with the current study as some respondents dreaded admitting that they constructed and disseminated messages on Covid-19. ...
Constructive Journalism and COVID-19 Safe Nation Narratives in The Herald Newspaper: Implications for Journalism Ethics in Zimbabwe
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2022
The coverage of crises such as the global health pandemic, COVID-19, is to a large extent guided by national interest, journalistic culture, and editorial policies of media outlets. This chapter argues that the state-controlled newspaper, The Herald , in Zimbabwe deployed constructive journalism as an approach to report COVID-19. Constructive journalism is about injecting positive angles into news reports whilst abiding by the core news values of accuracy, impartiality, and balance. The findings reveal that constructive journalism elements of solutions orientation, future orientation, and explanation and contextualisation were frequently deployed by The Herald to advance a safe nation narrative whose objective was to prevent public hysteria in the face of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The chapter concludes that the deployment of constructive journalism in less developed countries like Zimbabwe to inspire hope through positive psychology in the face of global crises does not always yield the intended outcomes.
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