Media Coverage and Corona Induced Health Emergency: Understanding Prejudice, Stigma, and Social Inequalities in India

Abstract

This essay traces the impact of the Corona pandemic during 2020–21 and issues related to stigma, prejudices, marginalization as well as virulent forms of social inequality that arose thereafter. Social distancing fortified boundary maintenance on social, economic and even ethnic lines. The role of media during the spread of the Corona pandemic left a lot to be desired, especially in the portrayal of the marginalised groups. Had it acted responsibly, not only would the world have been able to grasp the do’s and don’ts pertaining to precautions with due diligence, the world would have been more harmonious and many fatalities could perhaps have been avoided.