Following @jayrosen_nyu and @froomkin’s comments earlier, a plea.
NEWSROOMS: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CENTER YOUR HEALTH AND SCIENCE WRITERS ON #COVID19.
If they're too busy to do all the stories, at least run your copy by them.
Your mistakes are misleading the public. Thread:
NEWSROOMS: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CENTER YOUR HEALTH AND SCIENCE WRITERS ON #COVID19.
If they're too busy to do all the stories, at least run your copy by them.
Your mistakes are misleading the public. Thread:
Just in the past few days, I've seen:
- a features writer claim that the coronavirus accomplishes airborne transmission (evidence does not support)
- a GA writer claim US cases are "pouring in" (terrible phrasing, and confuses rising case count and increased test results)
- a features writer claim that the coronavirus accomplishes airborne transmission (evidence does not support)
- a GA writer claim US cases are "pouring in" (terrible phrasing, and confuses rising case count and increased test results)
This is not even to mention the DC/politics corps who (as @jayrosen_nyu and @froomkin outpointed) insist on construing #COVID19 response as a political-horse race narrative, or the cable networks deliberately choosing inflammatory talkers because they bring the clicks.
The health and science writers in your newsroom (or your network, if you rely on freelancers) have the training, the beat knowledge and the sources to help you get #COVID19 right, and help you to communicate the appropriate level of concern to your readers/viewers. Use them.
Signed, board member of the Association of Health Care Journalists but speaking only for myself, long-time epidemics and disasters reporter, and really dismayed at journalism's performance right now. We can do better.
