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In the wake of COVID-19, the field of risk communication must engage in more meaningful research and advocacy to support the systemic changes that are necessary for improving our pandemic response. Risk communication can also learn from cultural studies, using a more critical lens to study underlying inequalities and power structures, and the role of culture and politics in shaping risk perceptions and behaviours. Reputational management and public wellbeing are commonly stated goals. Yet COVID-19 has underscored the fractured identity and purpose of the field, and risk communicators need to be honest about whether they are working to protect the public or protect reputations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Disease outbreaks are often accompanied by sensationalist news media coverage, social media panic, and a barrage of conspiracy theories and misinformation. The Zika virus outbreak of 2015-2016 followed this pattern. Analysis Drawing on frame analysis, this article examines the construction and circulation of a conspiracy theory concerning the 2015-2016 Zika outbreak, analyzing the flow of misinformation across online platforms including "conspiracy" websites, online discussion threads, and Twitter. Conclusion and implications Conspiracy theories produced and shared on social and digital media platforms have the power to discursively construct contagious diseases such as Zika, which may fuel misguided public perceptions and impact health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This article explores the complexity of citizen participation in social media and crowdsourced journalism by utilizing the case of r/SyrianCivilWar, the sub-community of Reddit where users discuss the Syrian crisis. Analysis In examining the limitations and affordances of the platform, the article identifies features that characterize the r/SyrianCivilWar community, namely: algorithmic driven public discourse, deliberative communication, reflexivity and transparency, and database journalism. These features shape the functioning of the community and have broader implications for citizen crowdsourced journalism projects. Conclusion and implications The article demonstrates that alternative media practices, such as crowdsourced journalism, are limited in their capacity to reach mainstream consciousness. In the commodified landscape of media, portability--a capacity for complex issues to be distilled into a simple or simplified concept--is made important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]