Covid-19 media coverage in Portugal: the first months of the pandemic in online newspapers

Introduction: In the end of 2019, a Public Health crisis began with the emergence of the new Coronavirus. In a few months this virus reached practically every country in the world and, in Portugal, the first cases were registered in March 2020. Objective: To understand how Portuguese online journalism mediates COVID-19. Methodology: we analysed the news articles on COVID-19 published in four online editions: Jornal de Noticias, Publico, Observador and Noticias ao Minuto. Results: The 280 articles point to a strong use of new platforms such as social networks and mobile versions of newspapers, as well as distinguishing the presentation of figures, the identification of ways to prevent the disease and the explanation about the virus transmission process. These news are mostly disseminated with a national focus and with recourse to various imagetic forms. The assiduous presence of information sources and the reduced number of sources per article are also evident. Conclusions: The crisis generated by COVID-19 consolidated the use of digital platforms that fostered a hybrid media system, in which new and old media coexisted, as well as brought new forms of communication and new challenges, equating the potential of journalism.