Media and Communication Study Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak

This online panel discussion brought together three panelists to discuss the state of media communication research in the context of a global pandemic. First, Professor Jonathan Zhu presented an overarching argument and discussed how media communication research can use credible evidence to advise political and healthcare authorities to mobilize the public to get ready for the next round of COVID19. Next, Dr. Fei (Chris) Shen presented the results of an online survey conducted in March 2020 in mainland China, discussing how knowledge and conspiracy theoretic beliefs are related to media use. Lastly, Dr. Xiaofan Liu introduced a classic disease spreading model and analysis using real data and demonstrated how to estimate the macro effects of media from an epidemiological perspective. Afterward, the panelists discussed how to disseminate media communication research in a pandemic and answered questions from the participants. The event was attended by over 160 people via Zoom.