News and information to help journalists serve the public and stay safe.
May 14, 2020
TOP STORIES
Join Washington Post reporter Jessica Contrera  and Indiana University professor  Kelley Benham French  on May 19, 2020 from 11:30am-12pm for a discussion of how details tell the story of this pandemic.  Registration is open .

The conversation will describe how to consistently collect and select compelling details that evoke emotion and help convey the impact of coronavirus on people’s lives. Learn to identify the moments that compel readers toward a story’s purpose, and hear how to connect the reporting & writing process with our collective ability to understand what this pandemic means.
We know about high-profile journalists who have battled COVID-19 —  Lesley Stahl , Chris Cuomo , David Von Drehle , and others . And we know of those who have shared their experiences through stories, tweets or on-air accounts. But we don’t know how many journalists in the U.S. or around the world have tested positive or been presumed positive for the virus.
 
Privacy in healthcare and medicine is essential, but it also means news organizations are limited in the information they can require from employees. And of course, freelance journalists don't have HR departments or news organizations tracking their sick days.
 
The National Press Club Journalism Institute last week asked leaders at 17 of the country’s biggest news organizations — from broadcast networks to wire services to major newspaper and digital organizations — for the number of journalists in their organizations who have tested positive or been presumed positive, and for their policies to protect workers who may have been exposed. A majority have not responded, some have declined to answer and two did so only on the condition of anonymity.

One major newspaper chain, which asked not to be identified publicly, said only one journalist and four employees overall had tested positive for the coronavirus company-wide. That would be far below national infection rates. One global news service, which also did not want to be identified, declined to disclose the number of employees who had tested positive. But a company official said it requests employees who test positive to notify human resources personnel.
 
“Employee medical information is confidential,” Constantinos G. Panagopoulos , a partner at Ballard Spahr, said in an email. “Disclosures with respect to specific disabilities/diseases/sicknesses cannot be required, although they can be made voluntarily. Employers can ask employees to let the employer know if the employee is experiencing any COVID symptoms.”
 
While such rules apply to all employers, the nature of their work leaves   journalists vulnerable to the virus , making voluntary reporting important for their health and that of colleagues.
 
Two members of the 24,000 member NewsGuild-CWA have died, said union president   Jon Schleuss  in an interview. One was AP deputy technology editor  Nick Jesdanun  and the other was former New York Times reporter and editor  Alan Finder . (At least  30 other journalists have died  globally, according to tracking by Poynter.) Schleuss attributes the low number of known cases among journalists to early decisions in many newsrooms to begin remote work.
 
He pointed out that an early March journalism conference in New Orleans, which attracted investigative reporters and editors from across the country, may have prompted many newsrooms to initiate quarantine measures after news broke that one attendee tested positive .
 
“Seems like newsrooms — and I don't know if it's really that conference — but it seems like newsrooms started to have people work from home faster than a lot of other businesses,” Schleuss said.

Read on for what one lawyer is telling news organizations about how to protect infected journalists and their colleagues.

Image above from  BrieAnna J. Frank ‘s video of interactions between protesters and reporters (Phoenix).

Advice from  Jill Geisler ,
Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago
Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Have you ever worked for managers who seemed to make decisions based on what they heard from the last person who talked with them?

If so, you know how frustrating it was — and how it led to all kinds of needless jockeying among colleagues to get the last word with the boss.

Those supervisors were the living embodiment of “ recency bias ” — the tendency to place greater weight on the latest information they hear. 

We’re all capable of it. 

  • It can happen in hiring. When we interview a dozen people, we may remember the first and last candidates better than those clustered in the middle.
  • It’s a real challenge in evaluations. We may put too much stock in a recent event (good or bad) and not look at patterns or trends.
  • Ironically, it can happen after you read this column and become deeply focused on recency bias, to the exclusion of other issues

It’s important to focus on recency bias — and file it among other biases to monitor — because working at a distance can exacerbate it.

When it’s harder to make quick connections with people or to huddle for a group decision, we may rely on the last information we heard. Whether that’s a story idea, a complaint, a suggested change, or a determination of fault in a conflict — we might fall prey to the recency effect.

What’s the remedy? I’d suggest two key concepts from emotional intelligence: self-awareness and self-management. 

Know that the temptation exists to favor the latest information and do a self-assessment of your own susceptibility (or dare to ask colleagues about your track record). 

Then, when making decisions, especially remotely, make an extra effort to hear from others and see a bigger, broader picture, so that “this just in” doesn’t dominate the day.
Conflict happens. When conversations with loved ones during and about the pandemic turn into full-blown disagreements, changing the topic (and returning to it when cooler heads prevail) can be just as important to self-care as it is to preserving the relationship

Here are strategies to redirect conversations: 
  • Arm yourself with topics that can shift the conversation from disagreement to description. Asking what someone’s been watching, cooking, or reading can help focus on questions that people can answer, rather than what they can’t control. 
  • Pose questions that start with “how” or “why”. It’s the J-school adage: Avoid yes or no questions, which could deliver yes or no answers. Invite context from the start. 
  • Ask follow-up questions to dig deeper and discover common interests. Relationships grow stronger as you discover layered common interests.

Some questions to change the conversation: 
  • If you were going to start a podcast, what would it be about and why? 
  • Tell me about a skill or hobby you’ve learned or refined. 
  • Tell me about the funniest thing your child/grandchild/niece/nephew/pet has done today. 

Read on   for more self-care tips, or  share your own   .
RESOURCES
This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, Jim Kuhnhenn, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

Get this from a friend? Subscribe , and view the archives .
SUPPORT THE INSTITUTE
The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement. Support our important work with a tax-deductible contribution today.