There is a lot of concern for media at both the local and national level on evaluating cases of the coronavirus, as they have reported many confirmed cases, but have also overblown cases that have only been suspected rather than confirmed. The World Health Organization even says that the overabundance of information has led to an "infodemic" that confuses and scares audiences rather than inform them.
In fairness to the media, it is okay to speculate on cases that may not be confirmed just yet. However, that is something that should be stated in the headline or in a social media post promoting an article, as it would otherwise serve as clickbait and lead to more panic than reasonability. With a lot of misinformation in the current age, there should be more explicit reporting on what has been confirmed and what is not yet confirmed.
As China has largely suppressed information of the coronavirus, many citizens of the country have suffered for it. This is a chance for the rest of the world to do better, so the outlets where most people go to for information should not be misleading or deceitful in their reporting. At the same time, I agree with the article that the media should not amplify the messages of politicians if they are lying, as those falsehoods could lead to patients dying or refusing help and result in worsening the crisis. This will likely remain the biggest story going forward, and probably be the year's biggest subject, so it's best to remain careful in what outlets are reporting.
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