Timely and reliable news reporting is more important than ever now as the coronavirus pandemic spreads rapidly across the world. The challenge is a daunting one for journalists faced not only with the task of sorting through complicated and often contradictory information but also the risk of contracting COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the new virus. And even as people turn to the news media for information on the crisis, many U.S. newspapers are letting go of reporters and editors as advertising all but disappears. In this edition of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast Committee member Bill Loveless talks to Jon Allsop, who writes a newsletter called “The Media Today” produced by the Columbia Journalism Review. Jon is tracking reporting on COVID-19 in the U.S. and globally as well as the pandemic’s devastating financial impact on newsroom staffs.
Besides listening on Press.org, Update-1 can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn and Spotify by searching for "NPC Update-1."