Newsrooms Preparing for Coronavirus & Other Fourth State Stories in These Pressing Times

Source: Society of Professional Journalism

With the Coronavirus spreading, news organizations are taking precautions with their staffs and in their reporting.

Some major U.S. newsrooms are suggesting or requiring staff work from home, setting up Slack channels for coronavirus updates, limiting international travel and requiring those who travel to affected countries to quarantine themselves, working from home for two weeks.

Many outlets are carrying live updates on the virus and some have set-up newsletters to keep readers informed. Some outlets, like azcental.com , are dropping their paywall on coronavirus coverage. The Asian American Journalists Association is urging journalists to exercise care in their coverage of the coronavirus outbreak to avoid fueling xenophobia and racism that have already emerged since the outbreak. For journalists — and Citizen’s Journalists — looking for resources to help them better cover the virus,The Open Notebook provides a tip sheet from Washington Post Health and Science Editor Laura Helmuth, and the Journalist’s Toolbox continues to be updated with resources.