Covering Ebola - A guest lecture for journalism and crisis communications students, Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University.

1. Covering Ebola
Paige Brown Jarreau, Guest Lecture

2. Ebola
Ebola: Basics About the Disease
http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43750.pdf

3. Ebola Outbreak 2014
“Ebola has been spreading since it was first diagnosed in March 2014 in Guinea.
More than two-thirds who got the disease in this current outbreak in West Africa
didn’t survive. Almost 4,500 have died so far. It is the deadliest outbreak of Ebola
in history.”
http://theconversation.com/ebola-in-the-usa-dont-trust-what-you-read-on-twitter-
33211
“The disease was first identified in 1976, appearing simultaneously in Sudan and
the Democratic Republic of Congo. Until now the number of cases has been fairly
limited, but the fatality rates are high — anywhere from 25% to 90%; the average
is 50% — depending on the strain of virus and the care received.”
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/public-health/ebola-virus-us-preparedness-
review-research-perspectives#

4. Assessing the
International Spreading
Risk Associated with the
2014 West African Ebola
Outbreak
SEPTEMBER 2, 2014
“the short-term (3 and 6
weeks) probability of
international spread
outside the African
region is small, but not
negligible. The extension
of the outbreak is more
likely occurring in African
countries, increasing the
risk of international
dissemination on a
longer time scale.”

5. How Contagious
Is it Really?
What to know
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/10/02/352983774/no-seriously-how-contagious-is-ebola
• Sick people become infectious themselves only when they begin to show
symptoms.
• Disease transmission requires direct contact with an infected person’s
bodily fluids, such as blood, vomit or semen. (Extreme caution is warranted
because there is no vaccine for Ebola).
• While Ebola virus is extremely dangerous, its transmission rate is lower than
that of many other diseases.
• “As long as people are under proper care and appropriate precautions are
taken, there’s no reason to think we can’t control the transmission of the
virus” - Michael VanRooyen, Harvard Medical School
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/08/understanding-ebola/.

6. 2014 Ebola Outbreak – A Crisis
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan noted that this outbreak “is a social
crisis, a humanitarian crisis, an economic crisis, and a threat to national
security well beyond the outbreak zones.”

7. Why is covering the current Ebola outbreak difficult?
“This epidemic is showing how disease is a lot
more complicated than just being a virus or
bacteria or parasite, etc., that has to be fought.
Diseases need certain environmental
circumstances to thrive–like poverty in post-civil
war countries, which is of course what we see in
Liberia and Sierra Leone. But that then gets into
history, politics, and a lot of nuance, which is,
frankly, boring for anyone participating in the 24/7
news cycle.”
– Kelly Hills, professional editor and writer in the
medical sciences and humanities

8. Why is covering the current Ebola outbreak difficult?
“[I]nstead of a simple ‘backbreaking poverty means
that the situation was prime for an epidemic to occur,
because of limited medical resources and almost no doctors,
which is completely opposite what y'all in the developed
world are accustomed to,’ people go for the over-the-top (and
wrong) depictions of Ebola that have been perpetuated
by The Hot Zone and movies like ‘Outbreak.’ And, of course,
focus on the few developed world doctors and nurses who
become sick because they're ‘like’ rather than ‘other.’”
– Kelly Hills, professional editor and writer in the medical
sciences and humanities

9. Sensationalism
“[I]n other words, ‘oh my god is Ebola
mutating?!?!’ is the sort of clickbait that the
24/7 news cycle will flock to.
...if they could Buzzfeed the headline to
something like ‘Ebola: What You Don't Know
Will Shock You’ or ‘One Easy Trick to
Stopping the Ebola Epidemic’ … they
would/will.”
– Kelly Hills, professional editor and writer in
the medical sciences and humanities

10. Ebola in America
http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/ethics/2014/10/20/ebola-in-america/

11. Ethics of Reporting Ebola in U.S.
• “While many people wave off irresponsible journalism as the result of
the digital world hungry for constant content, reports that lead to more
questions than answers may also lead to harm.”
• “the general U.S. public…for the most part…only know of Ebola virus
disease through the stories and images they received in years past
from Africa. Journalists have the responsibility to act and provide
accurate answers through thorough reporting. It’s not the job of
journalists to drum up unwarranted fear or concern.”
• “In addition to the wear and tear of general anxiety, the potential harm
of unchecked rumors and fear among the general public can be seen
in U.S. history books. Fear and uncertainty over the transmission of
HIV in 1987 led to a ban on people infected with the virus, which
causes AIDS, from entering the U.S. The ban stayed on the books
until 2009, a year after then-President George W. Bush began the
repeal process.”
http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/ethics/2014/10/20/ebola-in-america/

12. Don’t Trust Twitter
In the first two weeks of October, there
were more than 18 million tweets with the
word “Ebola”.
Volume of #Ebola tweets by country. Crimson Hexagon
http://theconversation.com/ebola-in-the-usa-dont-trust-what-you-read-on-twitter-33211

13. Who is Tweeting about Ebola?
• The World Health Organization, UNICEF, the UN and similar bodies have
taken to Twitter to spread information and advice, and counter half-truths.
• Constant updates from news outlets about who in the West has contracted
the disease or the level of preparedness of the local hospitals.
• But only a handful of tweets have come from the ground in West Africa,
where the crisis is most acute. The number of tweets from three of the most
affected countries, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, can be counted in the
hundreds.
• Out of the more than a million #Ebola tweets with an identifiable location,
around 60% have come from Americans.
http://theconversation.com/ebola-in-the-usa-dont-trust-what-you-read-on-twitter-33211

14. Who is Tweeting about Ebola?
Frequent Terms and Themes
http://theconversation.com/ebola-in-the-usa-dont-trust-what-you-read-on-twitter-33211

15. Ebola is here! (Fear and sensationalism)
The Speaker, Flickr.com.

16. Who is Tweeting about Ebola?
“The largest single spike of chatter on #Ebola was on
October 16 after news emerged that Amber Vinson, a
nurse who treated Duncan, had contracted the virus. On that
day, more than three-quarters of tweets came from the US.”
“Ebola largely reflects the hopes and fears of Americans,
driven by the latest news tidbits about the disease on the US
mainland. The real story is happening thousands of
kilometers away, where doctors, nurses and medical
workers are trying to contain the outbreak with stretched
resources. Those tweets from West Africa are simply
drowned out by the volume and visibility of Americans
tweeting about Ebola.”
http://theconversation.com/ebola-in-the-usa-dont-trust-what-you-read-on-twitter-33211

17. Ebola Worries Rise
Broad Support for U.S. Efforts to Deal With Ebola in West Africa
http://www.people-press.org/2014/10/21/ebola-worries-rise-but-most-are-fairly-confident-in-government-hospitals-to-deal-with-disease/

18. What Can Communicators Do?
• Direct public concern into Ebola aid:
http://www.kellyhills.com/blog/aid-organizations-working-in-ebola-regions/
[T]here is an onus on the various mediums
to expand the call for help expressed by
both the WHO and MSF. Unfortunately, this
didn't happen quickly. As a result, little
was done for months after the Public
Health Emergency was declared. While
traditional media may not choose this
route, blog posts and social media can be
used to spread the word. MSF has done a
good job but they can’t do this alone.”
– Jason A Tetro, AKA TheGermGuy

19. What can you do to cover Ebola, or similar
outbreaks, better?

20. Ask Questions of Experts
“As with any topic, journalists with questions about
Ebola virus disease or possible cases in
communities should do what they always do – ask
questions and provide accurate information.”
- Andrew Seaman,
http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/ethics/2014/10/20/ebola-in-america/

21. Find Experts, not “experts”

22. Some Science Bloggers/Writers Covering Ebola with Expertise
Virology Down Under -
http://virologydownunder.blogspot.com/
http://www.taracsmith.com/ebola.html
http://www.wired.com/category/superbug
Don’t be afraid to ask these
and other experts for help/info
on social media

23. The Hot Zone is NOT a good example

24. Don’t Believe Everything You See in the Movies
• “Part of the fear about an Ebola outbreak in the
US stems from how the virus has been treated by
Hollywood and the media.”
• "Ebola has a mystique about it because the way
that it has been treated in fiction.“ - Amesh Adalja,
an infectious disease specialist from the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the
Center for Health Security
• “All of these factors work to fuel a panic mentality.
But in the US, Canada, Europe, and most
countries with well-developed health care
systems, Ebola poses almost no real risk because
patients can be isolated and treated without
spreading the virus.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/ebola-virus-in-us-dallas-
dont-panic-2014-9#ixzz3EqcLntE8

25. Combating Public Misperceptions
"If you came of age at a certain time, when you hear Ebola, you
almost certainly associate it with stories of people horribly
bleeding from every orifice, eyes weeping blood, as they die a
violent and wet death. Graphic, it makes for good thriller reading
or movies–and yet, is so inaccurate, people are actually dying
because it doesn't look like you think it 'should' from these
popular media reports.”
“You have to walk back what people think they
know, in order to share not only what they should
but need to know.”
- Kelly Hills, science writer/editor

26. It’s about more than Virology

27. Better ways to cover the Ebola outbreak
• Focus more on the people who are dying in the Western African
nations.
• Be honest about why the typical models for controlling an Ebola
outbreak aren't working there.
• Don't perpetuate the unsubstantiated claims of mutation.
• Look beyond the medical to the anthropology, the culture, and the
other factors beyond poverty that are blocking efforts at containment.
• Be aware of the privilege that comes from writing while wealthy -
center the story on the people actually suffering from the devastating
effects of Ebola (whether they or their family have contracted or died
from it, or if they're being hurt from the lack of medical services for all
other needs)
• Be realistic about both why the situation has deteriorated and how it
will be fixed.

28. Crisis Communications: Don’t Spread Panic

29. Beware “Airborne” and Mutation Claims
• One of the most controversial issues implicated in the current outbreak is
the issue of whether Ebola can be transmitted through the air. Scientists do
not believe it can, based on the most recent lab experiments.
• The CDC summarizes the findings of several studies as follows: “Airborne
transmission of Ebola virus has been hypothesized but not demonstrated in
humans. While Ebola virus can be spread through airborne particles under
experimental conditions in animals, this type of spread has not been
documented during human EVD outbreaks in settings such as hospitals or
households.”
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/public-health/ebola-virus-us-preparedness-
review-research-perspectives#
Nature magazine 2014 study:
http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/140725/srep05824/full/srep05824.html

30. Focus on Global Angles
“There's been too much focus on the American health care workers
and British nurse who were sick, and not enough on the folks in
West Africa dying of the disease.” – Kelly Hills

31. Focus on Global Angles, Humanize the Outbreak
http://www.scilogs.com/thats_basic_science/outbreak-abroad-jennifer-yang-toronto-star/

33. Science Tweeters: #ebolanoia

34. Science Tweeters: #ebolanoia

35. Other Issues – Culturally Sensitive
Science Communication

36. Other Issues – Culturally Sensitive
Science Communication
“As an ecologist, I appreciate this perspective. It's an important connection that few
people make or understand. When forest ecosystems are modified or destroyed and
human settlements expand into once wild or hardly inhabited spaces, people are more
likely to come into contact with diseases. It's referred to as Vector Sink dynamics.”
“Visit the website and use scan it. It's image after image of thick masses of sick and
depressed black and brown bodies associated with negative phrases like human filth,
polluting the earth, ecosystem collapse. Then there's this one image of a white guy
holding a sign "Earth is Everything" - defender of the Earth I suppose.”
“I see no passionate outrage on the deforestation and mining interests or coffee/cocoa
agriculture interests in West Africa and how these (Western) political-economic
interests play a role in Ebola spread dynamics or West African poverty, population
spread, climate change impact, or large-scale civil conflict.”
“The messages sound judge-y and accusatory and let Western culprits completely off
of the hook for the myriad ways they contribute to disenfranchisement and disparities
in developing nations.”
– Dr. Danielle Lee, @DNLee5
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2014/10/27/if-you-cant-be-a-good-example-be-a-warning-how-ecointernets-scicomm-fail-can-make-you-a-more-culturally-aware-science-communicator/

37. First Case of Ebola in the US
OK Coverage:
• Business Insider
No-so-OK Coverage:
• CNN
“The patient is believed to have had a
handful of contacts with people after
showing symptoms of the virus, and before
being isolated, Frieden said. A CDC team
was en route to Texas to help investigate
those contacts. […] At the same time,
Frieden sought to play down the risk to
public health. There are currently no other
suspected cases of Ebola in Texas.”
• NBC
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has
confirmed the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in
the United States is at a hospital in Dallas. But they say
there's "zero risk" he infected anyone else on his flight
here and they're confident the virus will not spread
widely in the United States.”

38. Lessons For Journalism Students
• “If you are asked to cover a particular research study on Ebola; do what
you can to put some kind of human element and context into the story that
will make people care about the outbreak as a whole.” - Erika Check
Hayden
• “I believe the word ‘context’ must be discussed. A look at the history, the
sociopolitical issues, the economic issues, the culture, the behaviors, and
the reaction to intervention needs to be explored. Also, a look at how
previous encounters in other areas of the world (SARS, cholera, etc.) can
offer perspective on how this current outbreak is either unique (it’s not) or
similar to other epidemics.” - Jason ‘The Germ Guy’ Tetro
The fight against Ebola in Guinea. European
Commission DG ECHO, Flickr.com

40. Lessons For PR & Crisis Communication Students
• “Rely on the experts. And University PR/PIO? Check all your departments!
Don't be afraid to mass email! Look under rocks–and I mean that kind of
literally; my alma mater? The epidemiologists often were in the geography
department, because diseases are often impacted/affected by natural
terrain.” - Kelly Hills
• “Be careful and only speak when the evidence is known. On that note,
avoid at all costs the ‘What If’ scenario.” - Jason ‘The Germ Guy’ Tetro

41. More Reading
• Covering Ebola
• How Do You Catch Ebola: By Air, Sweat Or Water?
• Ebola scams are sickening
• 13 things you need to know about Ebola
• Peter Piot, one of Ebola discoverers: "I wouldn't be worried to sit next to someone with
Ebola virus on the Tube as long as they don't vomit on you or something. This is an
infection that requires very close contact."
• Studying Ebola, Then Dying From It, a piece that brings humanity to the outbreak
• Scientists see risk of mutant airborne Ebola as remote, via Reuters
• Surviving Ebola, but Untouchable Back Home
• World struggles to stop Ebola
• CDC Updates: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/