The Other Side Of The Corona-virus “Coin”
Don’t let the emotional part of the crisis blind your critical thinking
There are two sides to every coin. And these sides coexist. It’s like the tip of the iceberg and its piece that is below the surface. The same is true of situations, stimuli, actions, events, choices, times of crisis. People usually choose to see only one side; the one they want to see, the one that seems more pleasant or easier. The other one is covered by the veil of voluntary “blindness”.
Mass Media and the public
We are going through a critical period. COVID-19 makes its sweeping passage from many countries around the globe. Many people have become ill, others have died, and the rest of us, are taking the necessary precautionary measures to halt its progress and reduce its rate of spread. Mass media play a key role in such situations. The way they transmit the information has an impact on the psychology of the audience. I have often emphasized the pathogens of the mass media system(fake news, misinformation, confusion, news that serve specific interests of corporations and governments, etc.) through articles. I realize now that, by doing this, it was like focusing solely on the responsibility of the media, and not of those who receive the information. Media do what they do, as they do it, and WE have the responsibility to use our capacity to think, to filter, to separate the wheat from the chaff…
The question is: To what extent does our critical thinking work?
In my country (Greece), the Government’s attitude in managing the corona-virus crisis is presented by the majority of the mass media as an excellent tactic. Though I agree that as a country, we have been operating dynamically and with good reflexes making key moves, I also see here a tendency to think in a one-dimensional way and evaluate all aspects of the issue from only one point of view.
The measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have undoubtedly played a role in Greece’s positive — compared to global data — image of the transmission rate of the virus. Among these, some emergency measures and hires for the Public Health System were announced, which were welcomed by most of the…
