We live at a devastating moment. A pandemic called COVID-19 has swept the world, infecting millions, killing hundreds of thousands, and upending nearly every aspect of modern life. How do journalists report a story like the coronavirus outbreak? No one has any idea – and yet we must. Scientifically informed, compassionate journalism has never been more crucial. Misinformation and racist fearmongering are rampant right now, and are literally killing people. The public health impact of our work is beyond measure. On a more humble level, at a time when people must live separately if we want to live at all, it’s often journalism that brings us together – stories about the way we live now, about minor and major acts of heroism, about how to cook dinner with the three random ingredients you were able to snatch from the grocery store.
All of this is just as true for student journalists as for professional ones. Reporting and editing remotely, cut off from campus and each other, student journalists have nonetheless been covering the coronavirus and its effects with courage and creativity. This guide, put together by students from Professor Britt Peterson’s spring 2020 JOUR 363 class, Covering a Pandemic, seeks to provide a resource for student journalists at Georgetown and beyond on issues ranging from sourcing and reporting stories on COVID to the risks of vicarious trauma. Please reach out with any questions or suggestions to bkp23@georgetown.edu.
Written by John Gagliano, Erika Gebhardt, Nareg Kuyumjian, Anna McDonald and Theron Pickett
