Perception About of COVID-19 Information in Ecuador

ABSTRACT

The purpose is to find out the public’s perception of the information transmitted by COVID-19 in Ecuador’s conventional social communication media between March and June 2020, since it is the first country in the region to be affected. The questions Was there a lack of information?, What information would citizens like to receive? and What strategies should the media implement?” are answered through a qualitative methodological approach of a descriptive and relational type. The research techniques are survey, content analysis, interviews with experts and description of digital publications. The conclusion is that there was little transparency and little research. According to those surveyed, the media should not subordinate deontology to immediacy. The urgency of contrast, consistency, multiple sources and educational approaches is shown. Stories require a humane approach and build transmedia stories. What happened in Ecuador is a reference for other realities, for example in neighboring countries of the Andean área. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.