Ars Boni Ars Boni Episode 14 - Corona Als Katalysator der Medienkrise In Österreich
Apr 23, 2020
This discussion features Muzayen Al-Youssef, an editor at Der Standard specializing in digital policy, Daniel Sokolov, North America correspondent for Heise Verlag focused on tech trends, and Barbara Wimmer, journalist at Futurezone covering digital journalism. They delve into the drastic impact of COVID-19 on Austrian digital journalism, from the financial shock to media revenues to the struggles of maintaining journalistic integrity. Topics include the challenges of reporting on COVID-19 apps, the urgent need for sustainable funding models, and the ethical implications of immunity passports.
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Crisis Narrows Media Plurality
- Crisis reporting narrowed attention to government and a few experts, reducing oppositional voices in Austria's media.
- Journalists struggled as experts were overloaded and unavailable for repeated questioning.
Travel And Conferences Disappeared
- Daniel described how conferences and travel composed much of his pre-pandemic reporting routine, which vanished overnight.
- He found early online streams poor substitutes because hallway conversations and informal contacts disappeared.
Ad Collapse Amplifies Media Crisis
- The pandemic triggered a direct financial shock: ad revenues collapsed and outlets cut staff or closed.
- Advertisers also avoided placing ads near Corona stories, deepening the revenue loss.