Prominence and Format of Covid-19 Reportage by the Media

ABSTRACT

According to Ogundele (2021), the virus's rapid spread increased citizens' fear and anxiety, triggering an urgent need for rapid crisis communication, enlightenment, sensitization, and education among Nigerian citizens by the Federal Government and concerned bodies through various mass media channels such as radio, television, film, and the internet, among others, to promote healthy practices. According to Akinfeleye (1987), health communication is a type of communication that is transmitted through the media in order to provide sufficient health care. According to Reuben, Danladi, Saleh, and Ejembi (2020), the COVID-19 pandemic has become a serious public health concern around the world, with governments taking unprecedented Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) efforts to halt the virus's spread. According to Okunna (1999), mass media are a range of platforms through which mass communication occurs, yet fake news and conspiracy theories have thrived in recent years, particularly on social media.