Exploring the Surveillance Role of the Media in Public Awareness on Covid-19 in Nigeria

Abstract

The study explores the surveillance role of the media in creating awareness on the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The aim of the study is to underscore the strategic roles played by the media in communicating the outbreak of the COVID-19 to the public. The study utilises library research method and critical observations to underscore the role of the media in responding to health emergencies. It hinges on the Agenda Setting Theory of the press to demonstrate how the media draw the attention of the public to prevailing, national issues that require change in health behaviour and practices among citizens. The study argues that the media are inevitable in the dissemination of {information on health related crisis. However, for the media to effectively carry out these functions adequately, they need to constantly monitor the environment so that they can spot fake news or information that may negatively impact on the lives of the people and counter them accordingly. To this end, government and key stakeholders in the society should train and educate the public on how to spot fake information so as to avoid them. The study strongly advocates that media literacy is the best option to facilitate this novel objective, hence, the need for a synergy among media workers and other stakeholders deployed to contain health crises in Nigeria, This will go a long, way to guard against reporting conflicting information on national health emergencies as experienced in the on-going fight against COVID-19.