How to Spot (and Cope With) Alarmist COVID Headlines

Checking the news has become an essential part of staying informed about the pandemic and breakthroughs in COVID-19 treatments and vaccines over the past year.

But as you’re scrolling through social media and your go-to news outlets, you’re bound to see some alarmist headlines. Perhaps you come across a story about a rare side effect from the COVID-19 vaccine or how a new virus variant might be more deadly.

Just a few dramatic words in the headline of a news story can make anyone panic—even if the story ultimately includes important information.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to avoid letting scary news stories affect your mental health.

Here’s why the pandemic has led to a surge in alarmist headlines, along with tips from media literacy experts on the best ways to avoid gettingoverwhelmedby news on the coronavirus.

Why Are There So Many Alarmist Headlines?

It comes down to click-bait and profits for media outlets.

A headline is typically your first impression of a story. It can be the deciding factor on whether you choose to read the entire article.

由于许多数字媒体网点获得了基于数量的点击收到的点击的广告收入，他们通常会在标题中使用戏剧性或令人兴奋的语言给诱使读者。

The story, itself, may be loaded with truthful, useful information, but the headline might only focus on a small, yet shocking detail to encourage you to click into the article.

“Sensationalist, click-bait headlines are used to drive people into content,” explainsKristy Roschke, PhD, media literacy instructor and managing director of the News Co/Lab at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “It’s a feature of digital news, but it’s not new. We also see it in broadcast TV with teasers, written in a way to attract people’s注意力to keep them engaged for longer.”

So why does it seem like we’re seeing even more alarmist headlines during the pandemic?

Part of the reason is that the pandemic is one of the few issues that affect everyone in the world. Because the audience for pandemic news is so broad, you have many organizations (journalistic and otherwise) creating content about COVID-19 and vying for readers, saysSanket Shah, MSHI, clinical assistant professor for biomedical and health information sciences at theUniversity of Illinois, Chicago.

“It’s so captivating on a broader scale. No matter what industry you’re in or what type of contribution you make to society, this is a story that applies to us all,” he says.

With more organizations competing for readers on their stories about the pandemic, they may be more likely to publish alarmist headlines that pull on readers' emotions, rather than delivering unadulterated facts.

Another problem is the complexity of reporting on the pandemic. Vaccines, viruses, and similar topics are extremely complicated, and our understanding of them continues to develop.

Headlines, which are short and punchy by design, don’t lend themselves to the nuance full articles on complex subjects require for accuracy. The headline could end up oversimplifying the story and fail to reflect the distinct details in the report.

These issues are further exacerbated by社交媒体, especially when people share an alarmist headline without reading the entire article.

“Audiences are now often turning to social media platforms to get their news. A lot of what people share will be stuff that’s provocative, and it becomes this vicious cycle of terrible headlines and people feeling that the news is all bad,” saysJennifer Brannock Cox, PhD, director of theSalisbury University Media Literacy Institute和大学沟通部的副教授。

How to Cope With Alarmist Headlines and Find Trustworthy News

危言耸听的头条线可以将新闻消费者放在相互矛盾的位置。一方面，您想了解在治疗，疫苗和与正在进行的大流行相关的其他一切上的最新突破。但是fear, anger, and sadness you might experience after seeing a sensational story can be so overwhelming, you might feel like avoiding the news altogether.

Those alarmist headlines aren’t going away anytime soon, so it’s important to find ways to cope. One thing that can help is not assuming a headline is telling you the full story—it’s often just a tiny piece of a more complicated issue that you can only begin to understand by reading the full article.

“Take every headline with a grain of salt,” advises Roschke. “Headlines are meant to attract our attention and evoke emotion. Sometimes the person who wrote the headline isn’t the person who wrote the story, so the headline can be taken out of context. You can’t reduce a complex topic into a headline.”

If a headline or story tugs at your emotions, that’s not necessarily a reason to avoid it, but instead try to put it into context before reacting. Look around to see if other media are reporting on the same story to determine if there’s truth behind it, and if so, read a few other articles on the topic to get different points of view.

Looking into the sources an article uses can also help you determine whether it should be trusted. Most digital media outlets will link to their sources in the text or include a list at the end of the article. If they’re relying on the government, peer-reviewed scientific studies, and authoritative primary sources for their information, they are generally considered to be more reliable sources of news.

“Understanding where this information is coming from and whether it’s backed by authorities can ensure that the public is dealing with this crisis accordingly,” says Shah. “Stick with tried-and-true, reputable sources of news, and cross-check the information.”

Adopting what Cox calls a “balanced news diet” also can help counteract the emotional impact of alarmist headlines about coronavirus news.

“当我们试图达到健康的身体时，我们会改变我们吃的东西。她的新闻饮食也是如此，“她说。“你想要大量的新闻，将通知和教育您。然后，可以在一点点娱乐和体育新闻中混合。在频谱上阅读新闻将以这种方式有助于您的心理健康。“万博手机客户端

最后，当危言耸听的头条新闻强调你时，给自己自由从新闻中休息。

“留在最新的发展之上并了解关于指导方针的更新，但你不需要一直在寻找这个消息来找到这个消息。你可以真正检查一下新闻，并没有，“罗斯克克说。“走出新闻一段时间可以真正有益。”