INTRODUCTION
Students in Professor Raymond McCaffrey’s Spring 2020 Ethics in Journalism class at the University of Arkansas met for the last time together in Kimpel Hall on March 12. As they followed instructions about plans to cease face-to-face meetings and go to online instruction, the students received an email from university officials officially announcing the move to remote learning.
In the weeks since then, the more than 30 students have spread out from one coast of the country to the other, from Maryland to California, some of them staying around Fayetteville while others have moved to be with friends, family and loved ones throughout Arkansas and in places such as Memphis, Dallas, Kansas City, and Norman. As they have felt the course of their lives change – one student has already had a parent laid off from work – they have managed to continue to study journalism ethics and its importance in a democratic society at a time of crisis.
Virtual Lecture from Professor McCaffrey: April 7, 2020
Although there are few precedents for covering a pandemic that is so far-reaching, journalists are still relying on their experience covering other large news stories such as tornados, hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.
Here’s a link to a story about a journalist who started her career at the local newspaper in nearby Joplin, MO, immediately after a tornado killed in excess of 150 people in the community. She eventually went to work at the Kansas City Star, got laid off, and responded by starting her own newsletter about the virus and the epidemic. (And yes, she has just started a new job as communications manager for the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers.)
We talked in class about trying to minimize the harm when we have to interview people who have lost loved ones. Here’s a story from the Poynter Institute about how to handle these assignments as best as possible.
The Columbia Journalism Review considers whether all types of journalism are “essential” when covering a pandemic.
Some have questioned whether reporters who have tested positive for the virus should be limiting their activity, particularly on TV. Is there a way for journalists to honestly contribute to the discussion and not engage in what some might call “stunt journalism,” a type of reporting that can focus more on the reporter than what is being reported on. CNN focuses on one of its own.
Finally, since we are talking about media consumption so much, here’s a poll from the Pew Research Center about how one’s news diet might affect one’s knowledge of the pandemic.