COVID-19 Guidelines to Report Safely
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The spread of Covid-19, a new frontline for journalists.
The Coronavirus has infected close to 340,000 people and caused more than 14,700 deaths. The global scale of this pandemic has forced countries around the world to take serious measures, including closing borders and imposing quarantines. This has increased multidimensional challenges to the journalists who are reporting on this story, from all across the world. In addition to tackling the very mechanical side of reporting stories connected to Covid-19; from impact on human life, to overwhelming medical systems around the world to how this pandemic is challenging countries to offer better governance, journalists are yet again on the frontline. Whether they report in quarantine, from behind a desk or from the street covering life at large, the risk of safety for these reporters demands a vigorously thoughtful approach.
This is a frontline, like no other. The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity and support with all journalists covering this massive story today. As a support organization for women, we have developed resources and tool kits that any journalist can consult.
We will continue to add to these tools over the next few weeks as the story develops.
We are also watching the space for any indications of difficulties women journalists in particular have or will encounter.
Reporting on Covid-19 outbreak. Risks journalists are facing.
Covid-19 strikes without prejudice. Several cases of journalists getting sick have been reported around the world. In New York, US, CBS News asked their staff to work from home after six of their employees tested positive. In Karnataka, India, four journalists were placed under quarantine after they interviewed relatives of a person who died because of the virus. There are many other cases of individual reporters and journalists opting for quarantine once they notice symptoms associated with the virus.
Those operating in regions where the infection has spread are at a higher risk of acquiring - and worse becoming carriers. But becoming sick isn’t the only risk that journalists are dealing with. In China, citizen journalists are being targeted by the state for reporting on the pandemic. Most notably, in February, Chen Qiushi disappeared while covering the spread of the virus in Wuhan.
In Iran, journalists are being attacked and targeted if they try to report on the real numbers when it comes to people affected or killed.
Frontline coverage and safety precautions
There are multiple journalists covering this story in each country around the world. Those on the frontlines are facing great and grave risks. While some journalists are covering the story from newsrooms, a good number have to venture out to the front lines to get an accurate picture of the spread.
For reporters who are covering Covid-19 from the field, there are few basic things to keep in mind before you begin reporting:
If you’re covering from the frontline:
+ Do your health risk assessment
+ Carry protection
+ Your protective gear and infection
+ Avoid close contact
+ Protect your hands in the field
+ Think of masks
+ Avoid dirty surfaces
+ Create methods to identify mis-information.
+ Politely refuse cultural bounds that compromise your safety
+ Be mindful of people
+ Clean your gear
If you have to travel to report:
+ Closed borders
+ Health requirements
+ Evolving closures
+ Think of supplies
+ Expect Shortages
+ Volatile situations and security
+ Be prepared for badly managed spaces
+ Create emergency contacts
If you get sick:
Keep the main symptoms in mind when you are out in the field. If you experience fever, a dry cough, and/or shortness of breath, immediately stop your work and instead focus on self-isolation and social distancing so that you do not spread the infection to others.
Get in touch with your editor and your team immediately if you feel any symptoms.
The average period of quarantine is between 7-14 days. If you are looking for medical advice, try to connect with health professionals online or over the phone instead of going out.
Separate your sleeping arrangements from those you share living spaces with.
Keep in mind the people who are at a higher risk for the disease and stay away from them.
Mental health:
Journalists covering the subject are not only dealing with risks to their physical wellbeing. Stress and anxiety are a very serious consequence of reporting on the pandemic, given that reporting has to often look into the very human cost of its spread.
Irrespective of whether a journalist is covering the subject while out in the field or from a desk, they are being constantly bombarded with ‘bad news’. Interviewing helpless doctors, hearing from victims who have lost a loved one while they themselves are struggling with the infection, and consuming different forms of content can result in extreme stress, depression and anxiety.
If you begin to feel overwhelmed or experience anxiety then ensure that you take a break from the stream of information you are consuming for your stories. Understand your own limits and draw solid boundaries; no story is worth putting your mental health in jeopardy. If you begin to notice your mental health becoming strained, practice some self-care.
Try to introduce a balance between your journalistic work and other activities so that your reporting does not overshadow other aspects of your life. In case you are self-isolating or practicing social distancing, look for activities you can easily do indoors. Ask for help when you need it instead of suffering in silence.
