Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic brings challenges not only to health systems and governments around the world, but also to the media. One of them is to provide the public with information about the virus, healthcare. However, if there is not enough knowledge regarding the virus it might be a good base for false information flowing all over the media. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic should be called ‘infodemic', which is as dangerous as the virus pandemic. In order to prevent the dangerous consequences of false information, wide collaboration between different groups of experts, authorities, media, and media users is required, as well as very good media and information management.
TopBackground
Information can be defined as “the characteristics of the output of a process, these being informative about the process and the input” (Losee, 1997, p. 189). This is a broad enough definition that it can be applied to various fields of study, such as philosophy, physics and media studies or management science. During the pandemic the rule of information is to limit the spread of disease, make the public aware of the danger, avoid panic, maintain public trust and influence people behavior. However, the situation of coronavirus crisis showed that the information part of the Internet had begun to develop in the alarming direction of misinformation and disinformation.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Management: A way to accomplish tasks and achieve goals. A process that consists of activities such as planning, organizing, controlling, directing, staffing in order to determine and accomplish stated objectives with the use of different resources.
Malinformation: A reframed, recontextualized true information, which is misleading.
Misinformation: An unintentionally false, wrong information.
Information Management: A processes that support the organization learning activities. A discipline of enterprise activity aimed at providing information to users with specific needs. It consists of functions such as identification, diagnostic and decision-making, planning information needs and resources, information supervision, controlling information technology processes, etc.
Disinformation: An intentionally misleading information.
Information: Any factor that humans, living organisms, or automatic devices can use for more specific purposeful action. A message from sender to receiver, who interpretates it as the sender intends. Facts provided or learned about something or someone.
Fake News: A false information, stories that appear to be news, spread using different traditional and digital media. They are usually created to influence public opinion.