Pandemic Communication in Times of Populism: Building Resilient Media and Ensuring Effective Pandemic Communication in Divided Societies
Lead Research Organisation:
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Communication and Media
Abstract
Media serve as important sources of information about health, and their role increases during public health crises. The way media select and present information during a crisis can have a significant impact on public attitudes and behaviour; it can encourage social cohesion and compliance with public health measures, or alternatively saw division and distrust. The presence of populist leaders obstructs the capacity of media organisations to engage in effective health crisis communication. It fosters anti-elite sentiments, contributes to divisive media coverage, and thereby encourages polarized attitudes and distrust among citizens, making them more vulnerable to misinformation spreading through socio-digital networks. Given the growing appeal of populism globally, activities aimed at making our societies more resilient in the face of future pandemics urgently need a better understanding of how populism affects health crisis communication.
This project will develop the first comprehensive, comparative study of health crisis communication in the context of populist politics, bringing significant advances in knowledge at the intersection of political communication and public health. Research will examine the impact of populism on four aspects of the pandemic communication circuit during COVID-19: government-led health crisis communication, media policy, media coverage, and public attitudes. The fifth strand will take a transnational perspective and analyse how the interaction between populism and pandemic communication was shaped by China and Russia's pandemic geopolitics. The focus will be on four countries that were led by populist leaders during the pandemic, and which capture different types of populist responses to the pandemic: Brazil, Poland, Serbia, and the USA.
This research will inform recommendations aimed at building more resilient media organisations that are better equipped to withstand the challenges of future pandemics in divided societies. The recommendations will be developed and disseminated in collaboration with key organisations representing media regulators, communication professionals, and public service media.
This project will develop the first comprehensive, comparative study of health crisis communication in the context of populist politics, bringing significant advances in knowledge at the intersection of political communication and public health. Research will examine the impact of populism on four aspects of the pandemic communication circuit during COVID-19: government-led health crisis communication, media policy, media coverage, and public attitudes. The fifth strand will take a transnational perspective and analyse how the interaction between populism and pandemic communication was shaped by China and Russia's pandemic geopolitics. The focus will be on four countries that were led by populist leaders during the pandemic, and which capture different types of populist responses to the pandemic: Brazil, Poland, Serbia, and the USA.
This research will inform recommendations aimed at building more resilient media organisations that are better equipped to withstand the challenges of future pandemics in divided societies. The recommendations will be developed and disseminated in collaboration with key organisations representing media regulators, communication professionals, and public service media.
Organisations
- LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY (Lead Research Organisation)
- Jagiellonian University (Collaboration)
- Sao Paulo State University (Collaboration)
- University of Zurich (Collaboration)
- European Broadcasting Union (Collaboration)
- University of California, San Diego (UCSD) (Collaboration)
- Harvard University (Collaboration)
- George Washington University (Collaboration)
- Government of Brazil (Collaboration)
Publications
Brandao, F.
(2023)
O futuro da tv: 25 anos da TV Câmara
Cologna V
(2025)
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.
in Nature human behaviour
Hallin DC
(2024)
Pandemic communication in times of populism: Politicization and the COVID communication process in Brazil, Poland, Serbia and the United States.
in Social science & medicine (1982)
Klimkiewicz, B.
(2025)
Metody badan medioznawczych w teorii i praktyce
Klimkiewicz, B.
(2025)
More Control Than Support: Populism, The Covid-19 Pandemic, and Media Policies in USA, Brazil, Serbia, and Poland
in International Journal of Communication
Klimkiewicz, B.
(2022)
Pandemic communication in Poland: A media policy perspective
Mede NG
(2025)
Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.
in Scientific data
| Title | Project video |
| Description | A 7-minute video "Pandemic Communication in Times of Populism" was produced with support from Black Hawk productions, with participation from several team members, sumairizng key results and recommendtaions for stakeholders emerging from the first year of the project. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | The video was used to disseminate key insights to a general audience online as well as as a complementary form of presentation during events and presentations aimed at non-academic stakeholders as well as other researchers. It helped raise awareness of results and attracted further interest and requests for information. |
| URL | https://youtu.be/VQW0sQMGQf0 |
| Description | The project delivered the first comprehensive study of health crisis communication in the context of populist politics. Research focused on four countries led by right-wing populist governments at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic - Brazil, Poland, Serbia and the United States - and combined elite interviews, policy analysis, population surveys and news coverage analysis. In line with our original objectives, the key findings shed light on five aspects of health crisis communication: 1. Patterns of crisis communication in the context of populist political leadership: We identified key characteristics of populism that are likely to affect health crisis communication. We find that many of these characteristics can be seen across the four countries. A common characteristic was a high degree of politicization, but we also found significant divergences across the four countries. We identified two main patterns of communication; one found in the U.S. and Brazil and the other in Poland and Serbia. We offer two hypotheses to explain the divergence of populist responses. 2. Populist media policies: General media policies in all four countries oscillated between control and support. On the one hand, several policies were aimed at controlling pandemic communication and limiting journalists' access to public information; on the other hand, efforts were made to support the media. On the whole, the drive to control overshadowed the efforts to provide support, and even when support was provided, it was often distributed in an untransparent or unfair manner that benefitted pro-government outlets. 3. Populist attitudes, public trust, media use, and vulnerability to health misinformation: Our findings show that people who hold populist beliefs and who mistrust experts are generally more likely to believe health misinformation. Populist attitudes are also the most significant predictor of distrust in political institutions. Our results also challenge common assumptions about the detrimental effects of social networking platforms and instead draw attention to the role of legacy news brands and messaging platforms as channels of health misinformation. 4. Journalistic coverage of COVID-19: COVID-19 coverage paid relatively little attention to scientific advances and expert advice and was polarized along the pro- vs. anti-populist axis. While some outlets were openly critical of populism, others supported populist actors due to ownership pressures or regulatory control. 5. Responses to Chinese and Russian COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy attracted limited attention and varied depending on the type of political regime, the geopolitical stance, the approach to the pandemic, and the type of media system. Our findings highlight the role of strategic narratives and news media in shaping the local reception of vaccine diplomacy. Apart from generating new findings, the project also contributed to career development of early career scholars and led to further research collaborations. Four ECRs went on to secure research and/or teaching positions at leading universities in their home country or abroad. Furthermore, thanks to the project, Prof Rothberg developed a new international collaboration that enabled him to secure a Latin American Scholars Grant, while Professor Mihelj was invited to join a major global study of trust in science. |
| Exploitation Route | We envisage our findings to serve as a basis for further research on the impact of political context on (health) crisis communication across several fields, including political communication, crisis/risk communication, health communication, science communication, journalism studies, disinformation studies, public health, public policy and governance, and public diplomacy. We also believe our theoretical and methodological contributions will be relevant to future research on populism and populist political communication. We sought to publish our findings in leading journals aimed at scholars working in these fields. We developed a range of recommendations for stakeholders based on our findings and published them in an open access report and a policy brief. They are aimed at key stakeholders involved in (health) crisis communication, including crisis and risk communication practitioners, public health authorities and government officials, media regulators and policy makers, journalists, and think thanks involved in public health. The recommendations cover issues such as management of political interference with the flow of information, enhanced protection of journalists, and changes to guidance for public emergencies. We hope these recommendations will help stakeholders address the challenges created by populist leadership and increase the effectiveness of crisis communication in the context of future crises. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Healthcare Other |
| URL | https://www.pancopop.net/outputs/ |
| Description | Seeking to generate impact outside academia was an integral part of the project throughout. Six key partners have been with us from the very start: European Platform of Regulatory Authorities, European Broadcasting Union, European Federation of Journalists, National Federation of Brazilian Journalists, Brazilian Federation of Scientific and Academic Associations of Communication, and Brazilian Journalism Researchers Association. Over the course of the project, we widened our network of stakeholders considerably and involved several national media regulatory authorities (e.g. Ofcom, UK; KRRiT, Poland), dedicated governmental bodies tackling health misinformation (e.g. Brazilian Committee to Combat Disinformation related to the National Immunization Program and Public Health Policies) professional associations of public communication practitioners (e.g. Brazilian Association of Public Communication), NGOs and think thanks active in the realm of public health (e.g. Chatham House), and the World Health Organization. Drawing on our research, we developed a range of recommendations for stakeholders based on our findings and published them in an open access report available on the project website, in both English and Portuguese (Mihelj et al., 2024a, 2024b) as well as a policy brief published by the UK Academy of Social Sciences (Mihelj, 2024).The recommendations are aimed at key stakeholders involved in (health) crisis communication, including crisis and risk communication practitioners, public health authorities and government officials, media regulators and policy makers, journalists, and think thanks involved in public health. They cover issues such as management of political interference with the flow of information, enhanced protection of journalists, and changes to guidance for public emergencies. We presented our recommendations at several dedicated seminars and presentations for individual stakeholders, including the annual meeting of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities in 2023, the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) Research Day in Paris in 2023, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies in 2023, and the Brazilian Committee to Combat Disinformation related to the National Immunization Program and Public Health Policies in 2024. We also presented at the ESRC GSR cross-government "Actionable Insights" seminar in 2022, which was attended by over 100 UK policy professionals and analysts from different Ministerial and Non-Ministerial Departments, Agencies and Public Bodies, at a seminar aimed at public officials, NGO professionals and journalists in Serbia in 2024, at a dedicated seminar about tackling the dengue epidemic in Brazil in 2024, and at a roundtable on misinformation organized as part of the accompanying programme of the G20 meeting in Brazil in 2024. Finally, we submitted written evidence as part of the side event of the 2024 G20 meeting in Brazil, in response to the consultation on the 2025 Work Plan of the annual European Platform of Regulatory Authorities, as well as in response to the 2025 UK Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry "Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy". According to evidence of impact collected so far (most of it in the form of direct written testimonials from partners and stakeholders) our research has helped shaped media policy and regulatory practice and advocacy across Europe and beyond. It contributed to a better understanding of the challenges created for crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic but also helped shape long-term approaches in this area. In terms of geographic scope, the impact has been concentrated in Europe and Brazil, where we had most stakeholders and partners In Europe, the work informed EU level scrutiny and early implementation of the European Media Freedom Act, strengthened the interventions of the European Federation of Journalists, and played a significant role in guiding the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities' long term agenda and approach to crisis communication. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) - a representative group of more than 296,000 journalists across 44 European countries - has drawn extensively on the research to shape its advocacy, internal programming, and engagement with EU institutions. The evidence base generated by the project became particularly significant in the ongoing scrutiny and early national-level implementation of the European Media Freedom Act. It also supported EFJ's responses to other policy developments, including the EU Strategy for Civil Society (November 2025) and the opinion released by the European Economic and Social Committee, calling for urgent action to strengthen labour rights for journalists and media professionals (December 2025). The research also played a substantial role in shaping the thinking, agenda, and activities of the European Federation of Journalists (EPRA), the oldest and largest network of media regulators in Europe, bringing together 56 regulatory authorities from 47 countries. The research fundings formed an important part of the evidence base EPRA and its members could draw on to support the interventions in policy debates in the context of the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act at the national level. The recommendations prepared by the project team helped shaped EPRA's conceptual approach to crisis communication over and beyond the COVID-19 crisis, enabling the regulator community to support more effective crisis communication in the future. Finally, research also played an important role in shaping the strategic orientation of the organisation and served as inspiration for some of the key themes tackled by EPRA over several years. In Brazil, the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ), a union representing journalists nationwide and bringing together the 31 Brazilian Journalists' Unions, reported that the findings deepened their understanding of communication and journalistic practice during the COVID-19 health crisis, as well as the relationship between far-right populist governments in the countries studied and the worsening of the health crisis. They also praised the recommendations prepared by the team, especially the recommendation for journalists to balance the need for disseminating authorities' guidelines with systematic monitoring of those authorities. Similarly, the Brazilian Association of Public Communication (ABC Publica) confirmed that the project's findings helped deepen the understanding of communication during the pandemic and were cited in planning activities at our institution, as well as supported the delivery of recommendations to professionals involved in crisis communication during the dengue epidemic in Brazil in 2024. Another beneficiary of the project has been the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, which made use of our findings on the role of broadcasting and specifically television in the fight against misinformation. Finally, our findings also informed the activities of the Brazilian Committee to Combat Disinformation related to the National Immunization Program and Public Health Policies. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy,Other |
| Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Response to consultation on the EPRA 2024 work programme |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | The change is still under discussion but we hope that it will lead to improved capacity to respond to health crises and health misinformation among media regulators. |
| Description | Response to consultation on the EPRA 2025 work programme |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | The change is still under discussion but we hope that it will lead to improved capacity of media regulators to respond to a fast changing environment. |
| Description | Response to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry on "Disinformation diplomacy" |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Title | Pandemic Communication in Times of Populism dataset |
| Description | The dataset comprises qualitative and quantitative data collected as part of the Pandemic Communication in Times of Populism project (2022-2024) The qualitative data set consists of qualitative interviews with key individuals involved in health crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic in the four countries, conducted between May and October 2022. The interviewees were recruited from four main groups (a) journalists who covered the pandemic, (b) public health officials and other public health professionals who played important roles in communication processes, (c) communication officers in government and other institutions involved in health crisis communication, and (d) political leaders. The number of interviewees ranged from 20 (Brazil) to 14 (US, Poland and Serbia). In general, gaining access to journalists and public health officials was easier than gaining access to government officials and politicians. All interviews were semi-structured and followed the same basic protocol, which was adapted for different countries and different types of interviewees, reflecting the role played by each of them in the health crisis communication process. Most interviews were conducted remotely, audio-recorded and then transcribed. A small number of interviewees declined to be recorded, and one interviewee responded to questions in writing. All recorded interviews were conducted in local languages, transcribed and translated into English (with the exception of those conducted in Serbian, which remain in original language). During transcription, the interviews were anonymized, and the interviewees were assigned a unique number, preceded by country abbreviation. All interviews were carried out following the relevant research ethics guidelines and procedures for protection of human subjects at participating universities; interviewees were offered anonymity and gave informed consent. Participants in Serbia, Poland and Brazil provided consent in written form (in accordance with protocols set out by Loughborough University, UK), while in the US, oral consent was recorded (in accordance with the ethics requirements of the University of California San Diego). The quantitative dataset is based on a cross-sectional survey with nationally representative samples, conducted in the four countries between November and December 2022. The questionnaire was designed to explore the patterns of public attitudes and information-seeking behaviour in relation to the pandemic, with questions about attitudes towards measures, trust in institutions, media use, as well as COVID-related misinformation and conspiracy theories. The data was collected by means of an online survey, carried out in all four countries between November and December 2022 by Lightspeed (Kantar). The survey included a total of 5,000 respondents (in Brazil, N= 1,500; in Poland, N= 1,000; in Serbia, N= 1,000; in the United States, N= 1,500), stratified by quotas according to sex, age, geographic regions, and income. Weights were not used as the data had a strong match with the census profiles. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This dataset was used to develop a range of outputs, including journal articles, reports, recommendations and policy briefs, documented elsewhere on Research Fish. |
| URL | https://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/856916/ |
| Title | Supplementary information files for "Beyond social media: The influence of news consumption, populism, and expert trust on belief in COVID-19 misinformation" |
| Description | Supplementary files for article "Beyond social media: The influence of news consumption, populism, and expert trust on belief in COVID-19 misinformation" The COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an unprecedented influx of misinformation often with adverse impact on the effectiveness of institutional responses to the health crisis. However, relatively little is still known about the factors that may have facilitated the proliferation and public acceptance of misinformation related to the virus or to the government's anti-pandemic measures, particularly in comparative perspective. Utilizing data collected by a representative cross-country survey (N = 5,000) in four countries led by populist leaders during the pandemic-Brazil, Poland, Serbia, and the United States-this study explores the links between three mutually interrelated factors, namely media usage across different platforms, affinity to populism, and trust in scientific expertise, and people's beliefs in selected COVID-related misinformation. The findings show that preexisting attitudes, especially affinity to populism and mistrust in experts, are generally stronger predictors of people's likelihood to endorse misinformation related to the pandemic than their news consumption patterns. Nevertheless, the analysis also indicates an important role played by exposure to specific media brands, particularly those promoting a skeptical stance toward preventive measures and COVID-19 vaccines, as well as messaging apps, which display stronger relationship with misinformation beliefs than social networking sites. The article concludes by discussing implications for practical efforts to combat misinformation, especially during a health crisis. ©The Author(s), CC BY 4.0 |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | See entry for the full project data set submission (available through UKDS) |
| URL | https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/dataset/Supplementary_information_files_for_Beyond_social_me... |
| Description | Collaboration with the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies |
| Organisation | Government of Brazil |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Professor Danilo Rothberg presented selected findings to the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, as part of a seminar organized in August 2023 in Brasilia to mark the 25th anniversary of the public service network TV Camara (a nation-wide TV channel responsible for broadcasting the activities of the Chamber). The presentation focused on the role of broadcasting and specifically television in the fight against misinformation, with a particular focus on the consumption and credibility of public service television during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its role in fighting health misinformation. The event was attended by around 50 deputies, advisors to deputies, and journalists, and was broadcast on the TV Camara YouTube channel, which reaches over 1.2 million subscribers. The presentation was later published in an edited book published by the Chamber of Deputies in November 2023, which is openly available online. The chapter and the presentation have been recorded separately. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Enabling the contributions as described above, and publicizing our findings through own channels. |
| Impact | Rothberg, Danilo (2023) 'How can television fight misinformation in Health and Politics?', Seminar 25 Years of TV Camara, Chamber of Deputies, Brasília, Brazil, 24 August 2023. Brandao, F., Å tetka, V., Mihelj, S., Rothberg, D., and Hallin, D. (2023) 'Como a TV pode combater a desinformação na saúde e na política', in Anselmo, Alessandra, Lemos, Cláudia, and Macário, Lincon (Eds.) O futuro da tv: 25 anos da TV Câmara, Câmara dos Deputados, Edições Câmara, pp. 59-68. Available online, open access: www.bd.camara.leg.br/bd/handle/bdcamara/41498 |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | European Broadcasting Union |
| Organisation | European Broadcasting Union |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | EBU had early access to research results and was involved in the development of recommendations for its members. |
| Collaborator Contribution | EBU has commented on research plans, helped with recruitment of suitable interviewees, and was involved in the development of recommendations for its members. |
| Impact | Participation in stakeholder meetings, input in research instruments, help with access to interviewees and recommendations for practitioners. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Global study of trust in science |
| Organisation | Harvard University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof Sabina Mihelj joined this global study as a member of the Advisory Board, and participated in the original design of the study and research instruments, interpretation of data, and editing of publications. The study involved research teams from 67 countries that collected the data and was led by researchers at Harvard and Zurich. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners at Harvard and Zurich led the study and managed data collection, data analysis, and writing of publications, and coordinated participating research teams in 67 countries who collected data. |
| Impact | Pre-print publication 'Trust in scientists and their role in society across 67 countries': https://osf.io/preprints/osf/6ay7s, currently under review. Associated dataset has also been made public: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/jktsy. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Global study of trust in science |
| Organisation | University of Zurich |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof Sabina Mihelj joined this global study as a member of the Advisory Board, and participated in the original design of the study and research instruments, interpretation of data, and editing of publications. The study involved research teams from 67 countries that collected the data and was led by researchers at Harvard and Zurich. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners at Harvard and Zurich led the study and managed data collection, data analysis, and writing of publications, and coordinated participating research teams in 67 countries who collected data. |
| Impact | Pre-print publication 'Trust in scientists and their role in society across 67 countries': https://osf.io/preprints/osf/6ay7s, currently under review. Associated dataset has also been made public: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/jktsy. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | PANCOPOP - Collaboration with UCSD, GWU, UNESP and Jagiellonian |
| Organisation | George Washington University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof Sabina Mihelj was Lead PI on this project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Danilo Rothberg (UNESP), Prof Beata Klimkiewicz (Jagiellonian), Prof Marlene Laruelle (GWU, Prof Daniel C Hallin (UCSD) were Co-PIs on this project. |
| Impact | Detailed elsewhere. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | PANCOPOP - Collaboration with UCSD, GWU, UNESP and Jagiellonian |
| Organisation | Jagiellonian University |
| Country | Poland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof Sabina Mihelj was Lead PI on this project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Danilo Rothberg (UNESP), Prof Beata Klimkiewicz (Jagiellonian), Prof Marlene Laruelle (GWU, Prof Daniel C Hallin (UCSD) were Co-PIs on this project. |
| Impact | Detailed elsewhere. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | PANCOPOP - Collaboration with UCSD, GWU, UNESP and Jagiellonian |
| Organisation | Sao Paulo State University |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof Sabina Mihelj was Lead PI on this project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Danilo Rothberg (UNESP), Prof Beata Klimkiewicz (Jagiellonian), Prof Marlene Laruelle (GWU, Prof Daniel C Hallin (UCSD) were Co-PIs on this project. |
| Impact | Detailed elsewhere. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | PANCOPOP - Collaboration with UCSD, GWU, UNESP and Jagiellonian |
| Organisation | University of California, San Diego (UCSD) |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof Sabina Mihelj was Lead PI on this project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Danilo Rothberg (UNESP), Prof Beata Klimkiewicz (Jagiellonian), Prof Marlene Laruelle (GWU, Prof Daniel C Hallin (UCSD) were Co-PIs on this project. |
| Impact | Detailed elsewhere. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Dissemination of Actionable Insights from the PANCOPOP Project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Wide dissemination of the final PANCOPOP project report with recommendations, with support from all partners. Dissemination occurred through email and social media, as well as internal channels of all partners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.pancopop.net/actionable-insights-from-the-pancopop-project-final-report-with-recommendat... |
| Description | Expert panel presentation at the G20 side event in Brazil |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Professor Rothberg presented the insights of the PANCOPOP project at an expert panel on combatting disinformation organized in Brazil. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Interview on populism and crisis communication |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Interview published in a newsletter disseminated to crisis communication practitioners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.wagthedog.io/p/populism-affects-crisis-communication |
| Description | Meeting with the European Federation of Journalists |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a meeting between PANCOPOP team members and Maja Sever, President of the European Federation of Journalists (one of the project partners), who provided comments on project plans shared with her in advance, thereby laying the basis for more impactful research results that will have a better chance of influencing the work of European journalists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Meeting with the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a meeting between PANCOPOP team members and Maria Donde, Vice-Chair of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (one of the project partners) and Head of International Content Policy at Ofcom, who provided comments on project plans shared with her in advance, thereby laying the basis for more impactful research results that will have a better chance of influencing the work of European media regulators. As a result we have been invited to present our research at two events, the annual EPRA meeting in October 2023, and the research day organized by the French national regulator ARCOM in November 2023 (each reported separately), as well as asked to comment on the EPRA workplan for 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | PANCOPOP - First Stakeholder and Advisory Board meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was the first formal meeting of all PANCOPOP project partners, stakeholders and Advisory Board members, designed to gather feedback in plans for data collection and research instruments (e.g. interview, survey and policy analysis plans). Advisory Board members and Partner Representatives comprised a diverse panel of media regulators, journalistic organisations, and media NGOs including the European Broadcasting Union and the Brazilian Federation of Scientific and Academic Associations of Communication, as well as several academic colleagues from around the world. Feedback was used to improve research instruments, as well as to identify ways in which partners could support the data gathering project through helping recruit suitable interviewees or providing access to internal reports. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.pancopop.net/news-item-2/ |
| Description | PANCOPOP - Second Stakeholder and Advisory Board meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was the second formal meeting of all PANCOPOP project partners, stakeholders and Advisory Board members, designed to solicit feedback on draft recommendations for practitioners based on insights from the project. Advisory Board members and Partner Representatives comprised a diverse panel of media regulators, journalistic organisations, media NGOs, think thanks and public health authorities, including the European Broadcasting Union and the Brazilian Federation of Scientific and Academic Associations of Communication, the UK regulator Ofcom, WHO's Emergency Communication and Community Engagement unit, Chatham House's Global Health Programme, as well as several academic colleagues from around the world. Feedback will be used to revise the recommendations before publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation at the annual meeting of European media regulators |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation delivered by Co-I Prof Beata Klimkiewicz at the 58th meeting of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities in October 2023 in Bucharest, Romania. The meeting was attended by c. 120 representatives of different media regulatory agencies from across Europe. The presentation, entitled addressed the issue of transparency in media policies, and one part focused on the role of transparency in crisis situations, presenting the lessons from the PANCOPOP project. This part focused on the results of media policy analysis, especially those that pointed to the necessity of state actors to ensure transparency in crisis communication, including health crisis communication. Following the meeting we were asked to provide comments on the draft annual work programme of EPRA for 2024, and have provided a written response that included suggestions for additional topics to be addressed in the programme (crisis and misinformation) informed by ongoing research on the PANCOPOP project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.epra.org/meetings/58th-epra-meeting |
| Description | Presentation at the research day organized by the French media regulator Arcom |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation delivered by Dr Katarzyna Vanevska (PDRA on the PANCOPOP project) at the research day organized by the French media regulatory authority Arcom (Audiovisual and Digital Communication regulatory Authority). The event, organised in November 2023 in Paris, was attended by c. 100 in-person participants and over 3,500 online participants, including Arcom representatives, representatives from other national regulatory media authorities, and researchers from several countries. The presentation focused on the impact of populism on media policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and was part of a panel on the new challenges to content moderation and regulation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.arcom.fr/sites/default/files/2023-11/2023_Arcom_Research_Day-Detailed%20program.pdf |
| Description | Presentation for the Brazilian Counter-Disinformation Committee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Professor Danilo Rothberg presented key findings and recommendations of the project at the monthly meeting of the Brazilian Committee to Combat Disinformation related to the National Immunization Program and Public Health Policies. The presentation of the PANCOPOP recommendations opened a productive dialogue and established a foundation for further collaboration. The Committee to Combat Disinformation on the National Immunization Programme and Public Health Policies was created by Decree No. 11,753, of 25 October 2023, and is composed of the following ministries: Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic; Attorney General's Office; Office of the Comptroller General of the Union; Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation; Ministry of Justice and Public Security; and Ministry of Health. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.gov.br/secom/pt-br/assuntos/comite-de-enfrentamento-da-desinformacao/atas-de-reuniao/202... |
| Description | Presentation to the members of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of results and insights from the project, as part of a seminar organized in August 2023 in Brasilia to mark the 25th anniversary of the public service network TV Camara (a nation-wide TV channel responsible for broadcasting the activities of the Chamber). The presentation focused on the role of broadcasting and specifically television in the fight against misinformation, with a particular focus on the consumption and credibility of public service television during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its role in highlighting health misinformation. The event was attended by around 50 deputies, advisors to deputies, and journalists. The presentation was later published in an edited book published by the Chamber of Deputies in November 2023 (see list of outcomes/publications). The full recording of the event is available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8HLlvZVJAM, and a detailed news report covering the events and some of the key findings is available here: https://jornal.unesp.br/2023/10/17/espectadores-de-tv-publica-no-brasil-apresentaram-tendencia-maior-a-acreditar-em-informacoes-falsas-sobre-a-covid-19-no-periodo-da-pandemia/, both in Portoguese. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8HLlvZVJAM |
| Description | Press release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Press release following the publication of the project report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2024/may/populist-covid-misinformation-healthcare/ |
| Description | Public lecture in Sweden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | One of the PANCOPOP Project's Principal Investigators, Professor Daniel Hallin, delivered a public lecture titled 'We Are All in This Together: Contradictions of Pandemic Biocommunicability in the Age of Populism'. During the lecture, Professor Hallin discussed the tensions between health officials and populist leaders, highlighting the inherently political nature of health emergencies and the role of media during times of crisis. The event was organised by the Department of Communication and Media at Lund University in Sweden. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.pancopop.net/prof-daniel-hallin-delivers-public-lecture-in-sweden-on-pandemic-biocommuni... |
| Description | Seminar for UK government officials |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of the initial project findings and recommendation to UK policy professionals, as part of the ESRC GSR Actionable Insights Seminar Series. The presentation, delivered on 29 June 2023, was attended by over 100 policy professionals and analysis from different UK Ministerial and Non-Ministerial Departments, agencies and Public Bodies. The presentation summarized the preliminary findings on the impact of populism on government health crisis communication, media policies and public attitudes and trust, as well as outlined several recommendations for media regulators and professionals involved in health communication |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://solace.org.uk/actionable-insights-policy-seminars/ |
| Description | Tackling the dengue epidemic in Brazil: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In response to the ongoing dengue epidemic in Brazil, Sabina Mihelj and Danilo Rothberg were invited to deliver a seminar for Brazilian communication and public health professionals, drawing on the findings and recommendations of the PANCOPOP project. The workshop, held on 25th April, was organised by the Brazilian Association of Public Communication - ABCPública, and supported by the Latin American Association of Communication Researchers - ALAIC; Compolítica - Brazilian Association of Communication and Politics Researchers; ABEJ - Brazilian Association of Journalism Education; FAC/UnB; Graduate Program in Communication at Unesp; Center for Research, Extension and Journalistic Practices of UFT. The workshop included responses from panelists including Edgard Rebouças (UFES/Ministry of Health), Fernando Paulino (UnB/Alaic) and Milena Silva (Campinas City Hall). The seminar was broadcast live in Portuguese on ABCPública's YouTube channel, and a recording can be accessed on the channel. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=1ZpcZBVs4ao |
| Description | Workshop for public officials and journalists in Serbia |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Stojiljkovic presented the findings and recommendations of the project at a seminar for public officials, NGOs and journalists organized in Serbia in May 2024 by the Foundation BFPE. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://en.bfpe.org/in-focus/the-second-event-of-the-annual-seminar-held-in-nis/ |