An Appraisal of Ethics in Media Reportage of COVID-19 Index Case in Kwara State

Abstract

This study presents a content analysis of ethical practices in media reportage during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kwara State, Nigeria, with particular focus on the case of the state’s index patient. The study adopted qualitative content analysis. Analysis was done using descriptive thematic and narrative analysis. Findings by the study revealed a disregard for established journalistic ethics across multiple media outlets, though a lone contrast in the ethical reporting of the Kwara State Government Website fairly demonstrated a viable professional alternative. Findings further indicated ethical breaches, including sensationalism, the publication of unverified information, and violations of patient privacy and confidentiality through the direct identification of the index case by name, location, and town. These unethical reporting were identified as the direct catalyst for intense psychosocial harm, including the stigmatisation experienced by the index case, her social ostracisation, and economic boycott of the affected family. The study uncovered systemic institutional failures underpinning the breaches, such as a lack of trauma-informed training, weak fact-checking protocols, and an outdated regulatory framework that incentivises “clickbait” economics over the privacy rights of individuals featured in news stories,. The study concluded that the ethical failures demonstrated by the various media organisations actively undermined the public health response and inflicted lasting harm on the index case and associated individuals. It recommended the retraction of stories deemed to have caused harm to individuals as a primary step towards mitigating the harmful impact and as a demonstration of institutional accountability, alongside urgent reforms, including mandatory trauma-informed training for journalists and a review of the Nigerian Press Council’s 26-year-old code of ethics for journalists, to align Nigerian media practice with global standards that prioritise human dignity during public emergencies.