Coronavirus: How the health crisis has influenced the activity of European news agencies

The health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic greatly influenced the activity of European news agencies in terms of working procedures, and some expect a drop in revenues, according to the directors of some of these media outlets in interviews published on Monday on the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) website.

It is the case of Agence France Press (AFP, France), which expects loss in revenues in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, even with a predictable steady future support from the French state. President of AFP Fabrice Fries counts on AFP's own strength for protecting the profit margin. In terms of the changes in the mode of operating, a massive program of home-working has been launched: "there were on average during lockdown time less than 40 staff on site in Paris compared to 1,000 on an normal day," Fries explained. According to him, "the use of full protective gear is mandatory and all such reporting missions are voluntary."

Regarding a possible drop in revenues with a negative impact on medium-term, Andorran News Agency (ANA) Vice President Alex Teres says "we expect the negative impact in the medium term, possibly with a decrease in income," despite the fact that "the agency's production has increased by approximately 50%" during this time. According to Teres, "ANA is a 100% private capital agency and the support of the Government and public institutions, as well as private companies and the media, is essential to continue providing a public service."

AGERPRES Director General Claudia Nicolae believes that "news agencies have to prove once more that they are in the first line of providing real and high-quality information, which the population relies on. We are not journalists only in times of peace and serenity, we mustn't only report on good and beautiful things. We show society the facts, events, problems, everything as it is and as it comes." She underscored that "news agencies must never forget their public mission of providing correct and objective information, particularly in times of crisis, when the interest in topical news is increasing and when fake news and disinformation are escalating."

President and Director General of Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA, Greece) Eftychios Pallikaris also believes that in times of crisis it is even more crucial for a news agency to "stay true to journalism's elemental tenants: objective, timely, continuous and accurate reporting and news dissemination" in order to avoid "misleading information or even outright disinformation by state or non-state actors, and regardless of the competency and effectiveness by the state, non-state and private sectors in dealing with the crisis."