Understanding of the News Published in the Press about COVID-19 by University Students of Careers in Communication Area in Alicante (2021)
Abstract
As a result of COVID-19, journalists have had to disseminate information on health issues, being in charge of translating complex terms into a language understandable to the general population. Objective: To assess the reading comprehension of communication degree students on news published in the press related to COVID-19; specifically 1) Identify your frequency of exposure to news; 2) Determine their perception of risk and 3) assess their understanding of specific terminology. Methodology: Online questionnaire for students of degrees in Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations and Audiovisual Communication, from the UA and the UMH. Results: 79.6% (n=225) frequently read news related to COVID-19 to stay informed about health problems. Less than half of them declared knowing terms such as “prevalence” or “screening”, and less than 20% correctly identified the definition of the concept. Conclusions: Low understanding of specific terminology, which may imply an incorrect perception of risk.
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