According to a survey unveiled at the International Journalism Conference in Tours, a majority of French people believe that the media have mismanaged the coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Were journalists bad in their media treatment of the Covid-19 pandemic?

This is what a majority of French people believe, according to a survey carried out by the Viavoice institute for the International Journalism Conference in Tours, in partnership with 

Le Journal du Dimanche

,

France Télévisions

,

 France Médias Monde

and

 Radio France

.

Unveiled in the 

JDD

, this poll estimates in particular that for 60% of French people, the media have talked too much about the pandemic in recent months.

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"Too much" and "anxiety" coverage

This large majority is opposed to the 10% who find on the contrary that the media have not talked enough about the pandemic.

Between the two, a quarter of those questioned found the coverage of the health situation balanced.

The French are not kind to the consequences of this media treatment either: 43% of those questioned believe that the media have fueled fear vis-à-vis the pandemic.

32% even think that the media have exploited it to gain an audience.

According to the poll, the French also point the finger at the quality of media coverage of the pandemic.

Half of the people questioned consider it "anxiety-provoking", 45% "excessive" and even "catastrophist" for 28% of them.

They are only 24% to consider it "useful for their daily life".

A figure slightly higher than 19% deeming this media coverage "false".

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Details on French expectations

The Viavoice Institute also questions the French in this survey on what they expect from the media in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

First surprise, they are only 10% selected the option "that the media give us the floor to testify and ask questions".

This is the least chosen proposition, while many media, and in particular TV channels, have multiplied the exercises of answering viewers' questions, in particular via hashtags on social networks.

Conversely, the most selected proposition (51%) by those polled is to have "constructive information, which offers solutions to protect against disease".

This is a difficult piece of information to bring when you know almost nothing about the virus, as was particularly the case at the start of the year.

It is also difficult to spend whole days on this point, when you decide to devote your entire antenna to discussing the consequences of the pandemic.