Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic:
How the Media Has Exacerbated Racism and Xenophobia

By Josie West

From the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the media has played a pivotal role in shaping the public’s perception of the virus’ development. News sources have been a wonderful tool for organizations like the CDC and the WHO to communicate important public health announcements with the greater public, and have helped people all over the world stay informed about the ever-changing nature of the virus. However, while there’s no denying the importance of the media in relaying the latest safety guidelines or case counts, we must also consider the ways in which the media has significantly exacerbated racism and xenophobia during the pandemic.

A recent example of this phenomenon occurred when the omicron variant was first detected by South African scientists. When news of this new highly contagious but less virulent variant began spreading around the world, the media quickly latched onto the term “South African variant,” as the name “omicron” hadn’t been established yet. This phrase was incredibly misleading, making it sound like South Africa was the place where this new variant came from, when in actuality, its origins are still largely unknown and actually likely originated from multiple different places (including Israel and the Netherlands). Numerous diseases have been named after geographic regions, such as Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Spanish Flu. However, the WHO released a statement in 2015 discouraging naming new diseases after regions due to the harm it inflicts on that population. Despite its good intentions, this statement caused confusion because it was specifically referring to new diseases, so already named diseases were not included. As such, the media should refrain from using terms like “South African variant” that blame and stigmatize communities when discussing diseases.

Instead of highlighting the advanced and important research the scientists had done to alert the world to this new variant, the Western media presented South Africa as a breeding ground for disease and danger. While the media could have used South Africa’s extraordinary technological work as an opportunity to dispel inaccurate and uninformed beliefs about African countries, they have instead fed into racist pre-existing generalizations and assumptions.

The omicron situation is far from the first instance of the media perpetuating racism and xenophobia during the pandemic. In a similar example, many major news outlets (especially in the United Kingdom) originally used the term “Indian variant” to talk about the delta variant. Regardless of whether they intended to or not, by associating something that is the source of incredible devastation and destruction (like COVID-19) with groups and populations that are already vulnerable to targeted attacks, the media was not only allowing racist acts to continue, but normalizing and encouraging them.

We’ve also seen how this type of media coverage contributes to an increase in racially-motivated attacks in the United States in particular. From even the beginning of the pandemic, news sources have used the phrase “Chinese virus” extensively, inadvertently associating the Chinese populace with COVID-19. Words and phrases in the media like this, especially coupled with former President Trump publicly using similarly dangerous and racially-loaded phrases like “Kung Flu,” have made Asian-Americans an easy target for people to express their anger at the pandemic. It’s no coincidence that in 2020, a year where anti-Asian sentiments dominated the media, there was a 150% increase in hate crimes against Asian-Americans.

The pandemic has created a catastrophic amount of damage around the globe, and the media’s racist coverage of the virus has played a significant role in this damage. The media has a responsibility to report on COVID-19 in order to prevent future outbreaks, including the Chinese government’s lack of transparency regarding its origins. However, there is no excuse for defaulting to racist and outdated naming practices for diseases. As COVID-19 continues to rage, and as new variants are sure to emerge, it is crucial that the media doesn’t fall back into old habits. Instead, they must be aware of how their coverage can shape public perception, and must work to counteract racist and xenophobic stereotypes instead of perpetuating them.