Television news coverage of the pandemic proceeded in three stages since the start of 2020. The first stage, which can be seen in the timeline below, was an emphasis on social distancing. Coverage emphasized that the only way to be safe was to keep a distance from others. Coverage of social distancing all but vanished almost overnight when the George Floyd protests occurred, recovering slightly in the weeks after but has largely faded. Instead, coverage shifted to mask wearing. In turn, since the Pfizer vaccine results were published in early November, coverage has shifted to vaccination.
Video: The Three Phases Of Covid-19 Television News Coverage: Social Distancing To Masking To Vaccines
