The World Association of Press Councils (WAPC) has expressed concern over the catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the media all over the world.

25 June 2020

In a statement, WAPC President Prof Sule Aker said it is ironic that like many other warriors against corona, the media has become a victim itself at an individual level and as institutions.
The June 18 statement came after a monthly online (zoom) meeting of member country delegates to examine the Covid-19 environment and the media.
The meeting was attended by WAPC members from Northern Cyprus, Nepal, Azerbaijan, Kenya, India, Tanzania and Kosovo. The Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) is a member of WAPC.
WAPC noted that a number of journalists have died of the virus while reporting on the pandemic in various countries. The economic consequences of Covid-19 are devastating on the media, WAPC said, noting that at institutional level a stretch of newspapers, magazines, periodicals, TV channels, online media and some digital platforms have stopped publishing or shut down operations altogether.

Many other media including among established ones have downsized their publications or reduced operations by truncating their pages and contents.
This downsizing has a cascading effect at the individual level as scores of journalists belonging to all types of media lost their jobs while many others faced salary cuts, the statement underlined.

Other coercive measures like forced leave, leave without pay and reduction of working hours were adopted by managements and media oulet owners, it elaborated.
Despite the odds facing media practitioners owing to the pandemic, there is no reduction in readership or viewership of print, electronic or other media. People still buy newspapers, watch TV and scan through online media, the global body noted.

Public agencies and private companies keep releasing advertisements to the media, with awareness campaigns on the pandemic released to media houses routinely and created by the media each passing day, it stated.
Readership, viewership and hits have in fact increased since people in many affected countries have been under varying periods of strict lockdown, sharply restricting personal movement.

But WAPC said it was ironic that media houses are 'killing' the messengers fighting the pandemic like any other health professionals.
Several appeals by individual journalists and through press associations or unions fall on the deaf ears of managements, owners and governments.
The WAPC is an umbrella organisation of press councils and similar bodies of countries around the world. During its series of unique on-line meetings “Media Before and After the Coronavirus Pandemic,” it appealed to media owners and managers to try and minimise harm to the practitioners.

This relates to employment termination and cutting their pays., similarly urging respective governments to review regulations with a view to make the situation more livable for the media, as it is the fourth pillar of government, in a democracy.
Speaking at the zoom conference, Prof Aker advised media practitioners to remain careful and disseminate authentic news about Covid-19.
Governments and media houses need to keep the interests of media persons uppermost in issuing policy directives, and to ensure that media personnel are provided with PPE as they often engage in risky news coverage.

Prof Aker further urged governments of member countries to provide information in a timely manner to avoid speculation on the real situation, which leads to gross misinformation.
WAPC is recognized by the United Nations, in which case it also decided to approach the UN and its affiliated bodies like UNESCO to provide support to media practitioners and the industry as a whole.
WAPC member countries agreed to work closely with the media in their countries and provide support whenever possible, the statement added.