[Communication in times of pandemic: information, disinformation, and provisional lessons from the coronavirus crisis]. / Comunicación en tiempos de pandemia: información, desinformación y lecciones provisionales de la crisis del coronavirus.

OBJECTIVE: To characterise the infodemic associated with the COVID-19 and to analyse information consumption, trust in sources, the role of the media and government communication, focusing in the case of Spain, as well as to discuss some provisional communication lessons from studies on this and other pandemics. METHOD: Bibliographic search in PubMed and Scopus and review of selected documents with the criteria of relevance to the objectives and the Spanish setting. RESULTS: The COVID-19 pandemic has overlapped with an infodemic that has led to the largest avalanche of disinformation known to date and to difficulties in finding reliable information for almost half of the population. In Spain, information consumption has focused on traditional media and WhatsApp; the media were relatively well-rated and helped understand the pandemic, although they are considered less trustworthy in Spain than in other Western countries. The analysis of Spanish government communication shows errors such as overly reassuring messages at the beginning of the pandemic, lack of transparency, excess of information and the spokesperson model adopted. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge about the infodemic associated with COVID-19 is fragmentary and insufficient. Even though the health crisis is not closed for adequate evaluation, some provisional communication lessons can be drawn. The complexity of the disinformation phenomenon requires considering infodemiology as a scientific discipline to understand both the spread of disinformation and the spread of disease.

Comunicação de risco versus comunicação de crise na saúde pública: o discurso das autoridades diante de uma epidemia de dengue / Risk communication versus crisis communication in the public health: the authorities speech in the face of a dengue epidemic / Comunicación de riesgo versus comunicación de crisis en la salud pública: el discurso de las autoridades ante una epidemia de dengue

Este artigo busca analisar os discursos, veiculados pela imprensa, das autoridades sanitárias e políticas sobre a primeira epidemia de dengue em Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil, em 1990, com o propósito de verificar a predominância ou não do uso da comunicação de crise. Foi feita uma pesquisa qualitativa embasada na teoria das representações sociais. e foram resgatadas 126 notícias de jornais e revistas sobre a epidemia em questão utilizando o método intitulado discurso do sujeito coletivo. A mídia desviou a atenção dos leitores para os embates políticos, e não para questões relativas ao binômio epidemiologia/saúde. Mesmo que o conteúdo informacional culpasse tanto o governo quanto a população, os leitores assumiram uma postura de passividade diante da situação. A grande mídia tem o poder de influenciar o cotidiano das pessoas e suas atuações políticas. Ela se apresenta como espaço de poder, com força na disputa pela hegemonia e na constituição da opinião pública sobre questões de saúde.

The objective of this article is to analyze the discourses by the public health and political authorities published by the print media on the first dengue epidemic in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo/Brazil in 1990, in order toverify whether or not there is a prevalence of the use of the crisis communication. A qualitative research was developed based on the social representation theory and 126 news about that epidemic were extracted from newspapers and journals using the method in titled collective subject discourse. The media diverted the attention of readers from matters relating to the binomial epidemiology/health to the existing political conflicts. Thus, even the media bringing an informational content that blamed both the government and the population, the readers assumed a passive attitude in the face of that situation. The great media has power to influence the daily life of people and their political actions. The media presents itself as a power sphere, with strength in the struggle for the hegemony and in the formation of the opinion about the health problems.

Este artículo busca analizar los discursos de las autoridades de salud pública y políticas que la prensa transmitió en la primera epidemia de dengue en Ribeirão Preto/São Paulo/Brasil en 1990, con el fin deverificar se ha prevalecido o no el empleo de la comunicación de crisis. Hemos realizado uno estudio cualitativo basado en la teoría de las representaciones sociales y 126 noticias fueron extraídas de la prensa diaria y de otros periodicos utilizando el método del discurso del sujeto colectivo. Los medios de comunicación desvíaron la atención de los lectores para los conflictos políticos existentes, y no para los asuntos relacionados con el binomio epidemiología/salud. Aunque el contenido informativo culpase tanto el gobierno como la población, los lectores asumieron una postura pasiva en relación a aquella situación. Los grandes medios de comunicación tienen poder para influir en el día a día de las personas y en susacciones políticas. Ellos se presentan como un espacio de poder, con fuerza en la lucha por la hegemonía yen la formación de la opinión pública sobre cuestiones de salud.