COVID-19 Challenges Update 6

May 20, 2020. New York. – COVID-19 continues to present a global challenge for citizens, governments, healthcare professionals, scientists, corporations, and the media.

While the disease creates new challenges, it also highlights long-standing ones in terms of policy, communication, and societal awareness of key issues and how the media reports on these issues.

As the crisis continues, the impact of the media not just on the health crisis, but on the related economic crisis is clear. From the Great Depression we learned Roosevelt’s mantra, “The only thing we have to fear is the fear itself.” 25 years later, after World War II, Ludwig Erhard built the come back of the German economy on the wisdom that “50% of economy is psychology.” Today, the media decide what consumers and investors see when they look for economic impulses. As the media has become increasingly negative on the economy during the novel coronavirus crisis, public sentiment on the media has followed suit, demonstrating how the media doesn’t just report the news, but risks creating it.

Meanwhile, the IMF has highlighted increasing challenges in dealing with global inequality that is being exacerbated by the current situation. Additionally, Q1 2020 EU data has shown some surprises when it comes to the pandemic’s impact on real economies, with Sweden and Finland most successfully weathering the storm.

Large scale societal changes from the COVID-19 crisis are likely. Luckily, an overall frame for dealing with these challenges and treating all lives as dignified and valuable already exists and has been accepted by 193 heads of state in the form of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals with their 169 clear targets.

To see our complete findings this week on COVID-19, please visit https://www.ungsii.org/sdg-cities and click to and select your language.

These findings are produced in partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the African Union, the Universities Network, UN Academic Impact, and diverse faith communities as we need better data and reporting on solutions for tackling the pandemic.

For over 21 years Media Tenor's mission has been to contribute to objective, diverse, and newsworthy media content by bringing together the diverse parties. Media Tenor's global research projects include analyses of election campaigns, investor relations, public diplomacy, corporate communications and other topics critical to news makers and news audiences.

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