On March 25, 2020 the National Press Photographer’s Association held on online town hall to give advice to journalists around the country on the best ways to handle the Coronavirus. They gave tips to journalists on how they can safely do their jobs They also tried to calm people who were stressed or worried about the current situation.
Marie De Jesús,photojournalist from the Houston Chronical, advised journalist to never go inside of a person’s house. The number one priority for journalists is to protect themselves and to protect their subjects. The best way to do this is to do stories remotely.
Julie Wolfe, News Director at WHAS 11 Louisville, explained that Journalists have resorted to online interviews. This includes doing interviews on Skype, Zoom or Facetime. Other journalists have resorted to interviewing a neighbor though his window while another stood on the street and interviewed some high schoolers while they stood in the driveway. One reporter said he used a shotgun mic so he could have his subject stand far away.
Talking to local people is a good way to make sure you are not traveling to far for a story. During this crisis, everyone has a story to tell, anyone can be a story.
Joe Little, Director of Storytelling at NBC 7, explained that another way to stop the spread of Corona is to make sure all reporters are traveling alone or always traveling with the same team. If reporters must travel with a team, they should make sure they are with the same people every time. Mixing up the teams every time would increase the chances of spreading the virus.
Jesús also told journalist not to be afraid to say no. If you are told to do a story that would put you in danger, it is up to you to tell your boss no. They also told managers to be empathetic, do not send people into an environment where they could catch or spread the Coronavirus. For most people this should not be a problem, most people have enough common sense not to ask people to do something dangerous but there is always a handful who are greedy and do not put the safety of others first.
With states issuing executive orders requiring all non-essential businesses to close, it is important that the media makes sure that they have exceptions to the orders. Mickey Osterreicher, NPPA General Counsel, advised all media personal to make sure they have access to the places they are trying to go to for a news story, they should always make sure they have their credentials or other form of paperwork. This will make sure they are not denied entry to somewhere important.
Osterreicher also touched on the legal battle involving medical facilities refusing to give information. They refuse to give information regarding the amount of people who have Corona claiming that it is a HIPA violation. Journalists are encouraged to have off the record conversations to explain that they are trying to inform the public about what is going on.
To keep the public’s attention Katie Schoolav, CNBC and NPPA Vice President, advised the media to have a variety of stories. It is important to always be informing people about the number of confirmed cases and the rising death toll, but if all you show is depressing stories viewers will turn away and stop watching. To avoid this news reporters should mix in positive and uplifting stories that came from this crisis. One example is a small private graduation ceremony done by a neighborhood.
One last message was that this is only temporary and to remain calm, this will not last forever.
This is a link for the town hall, you should check it out!
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