The problem area of this research is the method of media reporting during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus is on the professional principles of journalism, with a special emphasis on the challenges posed by new media and online portals: sensationalism, spreading panic, and copy&paste journalism. The main goal of the research is to determine the way in which Croatian online portals reported on the pandemic during three selected time periods, whether they adhered to ethical principles of the profession, and which factors influenced the manner of reporting. The theoretical part of the dissertation defines and analyzes the basic concepts of media, media classifications, functions, and the social role of media, with a particular emphasis on professional reporting standards, determining the challenges of new media and online portals such as source anonymity and copy&paste journalism. Through the analysis of conducted media research during the pandemic and by establishing a chronology of the pandemic, insights are provided into the socio-economic context of the crisis and the role of media at the global and European levels, along with identifying and defining the greatest challenge in reporting – the infodemic. A quantitative content analysis covered 2,713 articles collected via RSS to gain insight into publishing trends over three time intervals during the first wave of the pandemic, while a qualitative method singled out and analyzed 149 articles to determine how reporting varied depending on the time period.