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News article20 May 2020

COVID-19 media surveillance - 20 May 2020

This media surveillance collects articles reported through publicly available web sites.

Geolocations mentioned in coronavirus media coverage showing large clusters of news reports.
Geolocations mentioned in coronavirus media coverage showing large clusters of news reports.
© European Union, 2020, EMM/MEDISYS

This media surveillance collects articles reported through publicly available web sites.

It is created with the Europe Media Monitor (EMM).

The selection and placement of stories are determined automatically by a computer program.

Headlines

Twitter

The following news were found among the most mentioned/retweeted items:

  • "Wearing a mask can significantly reduce coronavirus transmission, study on hamsters claims" (cnbc)
  • "Maryland reports largest rise yet in coronavirus cases 4 days after reopening" (npr)
  • "Opinion: Georgia’s coronavirus data made reopening look safe. The numbers were a lie" (latimes)
  • "Florida's scientist was fired for refusing to 'manipulate' COVID-19 data" (usatoday)
  • "Federal judge rules Texans afraid of catching Covid-19 can vote by mail" (cnn)
  • "‘Hard stop’: States could lose National Guard virus workers. The Trump administration’s order ends deployments on June 24, just one day before thousands would qualify for education and retirement benefits" (politico)
  • "Madrid confirms one of every three infections of the coronavirus with more than a week of delay" (publico)
  • "The real number of deaths in Mexico City" (contralacorrupcion)

The hashtags #hydroxychloroquine and #trumpmorbidlyobese trended after Donald Trump’s admission that he is taking hydroxychloroquine and Nancy Pelosi’s comments (theguardian).

The most mentioned English sources were the New York Times, the Guardian, Fox News, the Washington Post and CNN.

El Diario, El Pais, RT (Spanish version) and OKdiario, and Le Monde and Le Parisien were among the most mentioned Spanish and French sources, respectively.

Extracted Quotes

Tedros Adhanom (WHO, Director-General):

"The world does not lack the tools, the science, or the resources to make it safer from pandemics. What is has lacked is the sustained commitment to use the tools, the science and the resources it has".

Pedro Sanchez (Spain, Prime Minister):

"Spain needs tourism. But tourism needs security. It needs health guarantees".

Xi Jinping (China, President):

"China will provide $2 billion over two years to help with COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries, especially developing countries".

Fact Check

Fact checked: claims on the media

  • Fact checkers debunk claims that Greta Thunberg appeared on a CNN "expert panel" in a program about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, explaining that the teenage climate activist did not appear on the show to offer expertise on the virus; rather, she discussed her work as an activist on such issues as children's welfare and climate change during a pandemic (snopes).

Fact checked: prevention and treatment

  • Fact checkers provide clarifications on claims that according to a study, cannabis may stop coronavirus from infecting people, reporting that while the study in question finds that cannabis extracts could be part of a treatment that helps prevent coronavirus, it has not been peer reviewed and it is based only on lab testing (politifact).
  • Fact checkers debunk viral messages claiming that drinking boldo tea, a type of herbal tea, cures the symptoms of coronavirus (afpchecamos).

Fact checked: conspiracy theories

  • Fact checkers debunk claims that the existence of a canine coronavirus vaccine demonstrates that a human vaccine for COVID-19 should already exist, explaining that the misunderstanding probably stems from the word "coronavirus" and how it pertains to a family of viruses (maldita).
  • Fact checkers debunk claims that according to French microbiologist Didier Raoult, the novel coronavirus was created by the US and China to “destroy” Africa (afpchecamos).

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Contact

Mail to JRC-EMM-SUPPORTatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (subject: COVID-19%20media%20surveillance) (JRC-EMM-SUPPORT[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Related Content

Europe Media Monitor (EMM)

Medical Information System - MEDISYS

Details

Publication date
20 May 2020