This ground-breaking collection takes a determinedly critical perspective, drawing upon the observations of an international cohort of leading scholars who bring an 'activist' slant to the subject. The use of 'framing' theory, representation and the critical discourse tradition feature prominently in the Introduction, underpinned by more specific methods apposite for interpreting texts, narratives and actions (i.e. critical discourse analysis, online ethnographic enquiry, multimodal approaches, surveys, etc.). The first in-depth academic analysis of mediated responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, this collection is both a considered intervention in its own right, and a reference-point for future research.

This volume represents a timely and essential contribution for both scholars and readers of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Whereas the bulk of literary, academic, and investigative coverage of the Pandemic has focussed on factors such as i) maintaining social cohesion, ii) developing a vaccine, iii) fighting fake news, this submission explores the erosion of civil liberties and human rights during the pandemic, the increase of policing and supervisory practices, and the innovative ways in which contemporary social movements have expressed their concerns at the measures governments have put in place. The volume challenges restrictions placed on freedom of speech, in which contrary opinions to mainstream public discourse have been branded as fake news, disinformation, or conspiratorial. It questions the legitimacy of authoritative voices such as the BBC with regards to the regurgitation of political dogma and the profound lack of investigative reportage therein. The volume examines how new or conventional social movements have responded to the pandemic and how fundamental human and civil rights such as those campaigned for by Black Lives Matter has united people from different backgrounds.

In 2015 the United Nations set out an ambitious plan under UN Resolution 70/1 to prioritize seventeen separate goals over a fifteen-year period to promote health, life, equality, and the environment. The Sustainable Development Goals include ending poverty and hunger; Reducing Inequality; promoting good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation, and infrastructure; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life under water; life on land; peace, justice, and strong institutions; and developing partnerships to achieve these goals. This book examines the way in which SDG initiatives have been disseminated by mainstream media, in government discourse and by NGO's, charitable organisations, and campaign groups. It questions to what extent sustainability narratives are being supported and how they represented; how saving the environment can be made pertinent to someone who has no access to clean food or running water; and why local initiatives (in which indigenous populations are making a real difference) are overshadowed by multinationals whose attempts to rectify the damage their goods have done gains more credible reportage.

This ground-breaking collection takes a determinedly critical perspective, drawing upon the observations of an international cohort of leading scholars who bring an 'activist' slant to the subject. The use of 'framing' theory, representation and the critical discourse tradition feature prominently in the Introduction, underpinned by more specific methods apposite for interpreting texts, narratives and actions (i.e. critical discourse analysis, online ethnographic enquiry, multimodal approaches, surveys, etc.). The first in-depth academic analysis of mediated responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, this collection is both a considered intervention in its own right, and a reference-point for future research.