Effects of the COVID-19 process on local media workers: The case of South Eastern Anatolia Region

Pandemics, which have caused physical and mental problems along with many deaths from past to present, have always been a universal problem. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the whole world as a public health issue these days, has also affected the media sector workers, and it has been observed that media professionals are among the occupational groups with high risk in this period. Journalists, who have the mission of informing the society, have enlightened the public about the course of the pandemic, treatment methods and preventive measures during the pandemic. Local media organs that give news about the city, carry the public in the media, provide information, entertain and educate the society with their works in a certain location have experienced difficulties due to COVID-19. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is on a universal scale, it has hindered journalism activities, on the other hand, it has been on the agenda of both local and national media. Media workers emerge as the most affected segment due to the working conditions of this extraordinary situation. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, 2,000 journalists around the world have lost their lives since the beginning of the epidemic. The number of journalist deaths recorded in Turkey was 30. This study aims to understand the problems faced by local media workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to convey the necessary solutions to both the public and local media workers. For this purpose, a survey was conducted to reveal the problems experienced by local media workers working in the Southeastern Anatolia Region during the COVID-19 period. On the other hand, semi-structured interviews were conducted regarding the problems experienced by professional organizations and journalists. With the aforementioned field studies, the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the media sector and journalists have been revealed first-hand with current data. With this research, it has been determined that local media workers do not receive adequate support from professional organizations and are significantly affected both physically and psychologically during the COVID-19 process.