Media contributions
1Media contributions
Title Coronavirus ‘news fatigue’ starts to bite for Australians in lockdown Degree of recognition National Media name/outlet The Conversation Media type Web Duration/Length/Size 800 words Country/Territory Australia Date 6/05/20 Description During social isolation, Australians have been staying at home to stop the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in an increase in news and media consumption. After weeks of restricted movement and social distancing, Australians are restless. Not only are they tired of being in lockdown, they are also feeling worn out by news about the coronavirus.
More than two-thirds of Australians (71%) say they are avoiding news about the coronavirus and this is largely driven by news fatigue. This figure is 9% higher than our usual rate of avoidance, according to the Digital News Report Australia 2019, which showed 62% of Australians avoid the news generally.
The findings are included in a report on Australians’ news and misinformation consumption during the COVID-19 outbreak. A national representative online survey of 2,196 Australians aged 18 and older was conducted by the News and Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra in April 2020.Persons Caroline FISHER, Sora PARK, Jee Young LEE, Kieran McGuinness