Isolated from a ‘single source of truth’: Formats and sources of COVID-19 information utilised by linguistic minority communities in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This paper explores the formats and sources of COVID-19 information that 85 linguistic minority participants in Christchurch, New Zealand, engaged with during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on in-depth interviews conducted in 13 minority languages and English, our findings highlight varied information consumption patterns and the importance of both written and audio/audiovisual information formats. Local news, governmental sources, and personal networks played key roles, but, while intersectional factors shaped these practices, our analysis draws attention to the significance of language. Notably, inadequate multilingual information about the pandemic in New Zealand meant some participants with limited English and/or (digital) literacy were unable to access reliable local COVID-19 information. Thus isolated from a ‘single source of truth’, these participants instead had little choice but to rely on family or friends, social media and/or overseas news, often seeking to corroborate information across languages and sources. As such, our study emphasises the need for inclusive, targeted multilingual crisis communication strategies that address linguistic diversity. By highlighting the unique information consumption of linguistic minority communities, this paper contributes to current discussions about equitable access to public health information and the role of government in this endeavour as a matter of human rights for linguistic minorities.