By Britny Barrientos

WUSB radio, the Statesman newspaper and the Stony Brook Press have continued to provide accurate and verified news coverage during the pandemic and it’s related quarantine. Since the pandemic started, the media has become a central place where we go to find out what we should do next. I believe that the media has been a vital resource during the pandemic. Listening to Governor Cuomo give his daily update before work really had me thinking about how seriously I should take it, as well as how others were reacting to the situation.

I’ve seen the pandemic go from 0-100 in just about 6-7 months. As time has gone on, news reports have been getting crazier by the day. It has been a wild ride since it started, and it often feels like it is difficult to get clear answers. When it comes to that, there have been some media outlets who have given false reports related about the pandemic, making news filtering that much more challenging. Particularly in the first few months, wrong statistics were given to the public, in some cases, confusing people about what to do and where to turn.

In my opinion, media has experienced nearly as many changes and advances as the virus has throughout this pandemic. Media outlets are taking it day by day and I definitely think that no one really knows what is going to happen. Everyone is so used to getting a direct answer, and this is the first time that we don’t have control over the situation so, in this case, it’s harder for everyone to comprehend the misinformation. Checking facts, reading, listening to and watching verified news and information sources is the best way to stay news literate and get the most accurate health information.