90 DAYS OF UNCERTAINTY Conflict, Communication and Sensemaking during the Initial Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

This special issue investigates the multifaceted role of communication and media in Italy during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (January–March 2020), a period marked by high risk and profound uncertainty. The introduction contextualizes the global outbreak, tracing its origins in Wuhan, China, and the rapid international escalation that led to Italy becoming the first Western country to implement a nationwide lockdown. The Italian government’s response, including flight suspensions, emergency declarations, and progressive quarantine measures, is outlined against the backdrop of a complex political landscape. The issue explores how the pandemic posed unprecedented challenges not only to healthcare systems but also to the information ecosystem. Journalists and media professionals were tasked with disseminating accurate, timely information amidst scientific uncertainty and a rapidly evolving situation. The early pandemic period saw a resurgence in the primacy of traditional media, particularly television, as the main source of information, while newspapers initially aligned with institutional narratives before diversifying their coverage. The rise in news consumption, however, did not correspond to increased trust in the media, highlighting persistent challenges in public communication. Social media emerged as both a platform for citizen discourse and an essential tool for institutional communication. Analyses reveal a shift from rational to emotional responses among users, and a growing reliance on emotional and personalized messaging by public officials. Ethnographic studies document citizens’ struggles to navigate overwhelming information flows and the adoption of new information-seeking practices. Collectively, the contributions in this issue demonstrate how the early pandemic catalyzed structural changes in the Italian media system, some of which have become embedded while others have faded. The research underscores the value of multidimensional approaches that consider both traditional and digital media, as well as the interplay between institutional actors and private citizens, in understanding crisis communication in contemporary society.