Publication record
- Original publication period
- January–June 2020
- Digitized / uploaded online
- August 10, 2026
The digitization/upload date records when this file was added to the website; it is not the article's original publication date.
Abstract
Social media allowed government offices and schools to publish rapidly during the COVID-19 emergency, but publication is not the same as successful public information. This communication-policy review treats dissemination as a service with five tests: authority, findability, comprehension, actionability, and correctability. Evidence through 2021 shows that platform reach can coexist with exclusion, message overload, impersonation, outdated posts, rumor circulation, and unanswered public questions. A two-lane model is proposed. The public lane issues short, dated, shareable instructions; the record lane preserves the full advisory, version history, contact point, and correction. Social media is positioned as one layer in a redundant channel system that includes text, print, websites, hotlines, and community intermediaries. The article develops a message card, correction protocol, and operational metrics that go beyond follower counts. It is a conceptual synthesis and does not evaluate a particular agency or school.