Free media help combat the spread of covid-19

What is the best response to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic? Although some success stories and key lessons are emerging (early response, large-scale testing, effective containment), countries have adopted a strikingly wide array of strategies. Free media can explain part of the difference in country responses to COVID-19, write Tim Besley and Sacha Dray (LSE). Countries with free media are more truthful in counting COVID-19 deaths and implement more efficient and responsive lockdowns. Free and independent media allow citizens to be better informed about the pandemic, reduce misinformation, and make governments more accountable, they argue.