All the trauma we cannot see

Media statistic of the week 

Digital ad spending is down 38 percent for March and April, and as Tiffany Hsu reports at The New York Times, the numbers are even worse for TV, radio, print and billboard advertising. “Cannes Lions canceled. Marketing ‘gone dark.’ Production shut down. Blacklisting intensified. For the advertising industry, which touches nearly every sector of the economy, coronavirus is ‘a seismic shock, possibly the biggest we have faced, ever,’” tweets Hsu, quoting Harris Diamond, the chief executive of McCann Worldgroup. As W. Blake Gray points out, “The current sharp drop in advertising isn’t a good thing if you like to watch or read media supported by advertising.”

This week in media history

On April 14, 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster’s American English dictionary — with the deliberately patriotic title An American Dictionary of the English Language — was published. As Webster wrote in the preface, “Language is an expression of ideas; and if the people of one country cannot preserve an identity of ideas, they cannot retain an identity of language.”

This week in the media industry 

It’s a trip

What’s it like for reporters covering the biggest story of their careers? CNN’s Kerry Flynn went to the source to find out how “a phalanx of health reporters in newsrooms across the globe are covering the still-unfolding coronavirus pandemic. Even entertainment and sports reporters, whose coverage areas have all but disappeared, are on the story,” she points out. But for this piece, Flynn focused exclusively on the health reporters, what they’re writing and how they’re staying safe. 

Soumya Karlamangla says that “being a health reporter in the age of coronavirus is a trip. everyone is always writing on my beat! @kerrymflynn interviewed lots of health reporters (including me) about what it’s like to cover this giant story.”

A war without correspondents on the front lines

One of the challenges: Americans want to see what’s happening in hospitals now. But it’s hard for journalists to get inside. Elahe Izadi and Sarah Ellison of The Washington Post explain how a combination of health worries and privacy concerns are forcing the media to tell the story of the medical system’s struggle with the virus through secondhand observations and amateur cellphone footage.

“All the trauma we cannot see,” says Margaret Sullivan, who calls this an “Important read from my media-desk colleagues.” As Izadi puts it, “This is a war without war correspondents on the front lines.” 

“But seeing is believing, the old saying goes,” writes Al Tompkins. “It is true in war, it is true in disasters, and this is both a war and a disaster.” Tompkins says that HIPAA, a “widely misunderstood act,” is being invoked to limit access to COVID-19 data. In a new piece for Poynter, he takes a closer look at what HIPAA does, and does not, cover. 

As Tompkins points out, “SO much of what you want and need to know about #COVID-19 is being withheld by well-meaning health care providers who cite HIPAA. The federal privacy act is widely misused, maybe not maliciously. But it is costing us important data.” The bottom line for reporters, says Nicole Grigg: “Don’t be scared to challenge that response.”

Support for journalists

Another valuable one from the Poynter team, specifically directed toward student journalists, is Barbara Allen’s piece on writing about death. “Here are my best tips for dealing with death,” she writes. “I hope you won’t need them.” Laura Helmuth praises the “Practical and humane advice for how to interview the bereaved and write about death, which is one of the most important things journalists do.”

The Associated Press has announced that it’s making its county-level U.S. coronavirus data publicly available to all through the data.world platform. Lauren Easton has those details.

 World Press Photo has compiled a useful and expansive list of resources to support visual journalism through the COVID-19 crisis, including safety guidelines and funding/grant resources.

Jennifer Nelson of the Reynolds Journalism Institute reports that journalists can now find COVID-19 response related legislation from across the U.S. on the Open States website. The free resource pulls in legislation, so journalists can easily track and monitor legislation in one spot, which is particularly helpful to those having to report on multiple states, says James Turk, founder and principal architect for Open States.

Next, Abigail Edge links to a “Great story on the new Slack support community for freelance journalists started by @LauraOliver, @mrjohncrowley, @CarolineHarrap and myself 💪” Jacob Granger of Journalism.co.uk writes about that new Slack group offering support for freelance journalists during the coronavirus crisis. The group shares resources, advice and opportunities in addition to providing moral support and a sounding board.

Mel Grau, editor of The Cohort, spoke with Sidney Tompkins, a licensed mental health counselor and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, to see what she could teach us about coping with the coronavirus in the days ahead. Check out that interview and Tompkins’ advice here. 

And Maggie Koerth-Baker alerts us to a “Mutual aid micro-loan fund — for journalists, by journalists. Sign up to be a donor (I did) or to get the cash you need in a rough-ass time.” Check out Microloans for Journalists for details. Robert Faturechi says, “We've raised over $60K in verified pledges (a number that will grow significantly once we’re done verifying!) We are now open to borrowers. If you have been laid off/furloughed/had your pay cut - and could use a $500 interest-free loan - let us know.”

The media gives back

As Flynn noted in her story about health reporters, the pandemic has shifted the focus for other journalists as well. At The Ringer, Bryan Curtis takes a look at how sports radio hosts have become America’s grief counselors. 

 Curtis shares, “New: I talked to Paul Finebaum about how his sports radio show became a forum for coronavirus fear and anger. ‘I think I heard the word ‘Churchillian’ the other day for the first time ever on our show. We’re in a place that we’ve never been before.’” 

“Great read here from @bryancurtis,” says Brent Axe, who adds, “We've mostly been in the distraction department and sticking to sports on @ESPNSyracuse, but have had coronavirus updates on from guests like @CHM_McMahon and callers have an open forum to discuss what they want.”

Meanwhile, Kayleigh Barber of Digiday reveals how food publishers like Food & Wine, Eater and Thrillist are giving back to the restaurant industry by setting up fundraising features on their websites, using their platforms for promotion and restructuring entire franchises around providing additional service to industry workers.

A time when trustworthy news is most needed

So what about the support for journalism? NewCo founder and CEO John Battelle has written what Pete D, Camarillo calls an “amazing read on why marketers need to rethink news.” That’s Battelle’s Open Letter To American Corporations: It’s Good Business (and Smart Marketing) To Support Quality Journalism.  

“If you run media investment for a major brand, it’s time to rethink your brand safety rules in the #COVID19 era. The truth is your customers and prospects are turning to news more than ever in the last 20 years. You need to reach them there,” urges Lou Paskalis.

Meanwhile, “At a time when trustworthy news is most needed, outlets are cutting reporters & shutting down. Today @freepressaction @PENAmerica @CommonCause and a coalition of media, social justice & press freedom groups are calling on Congress to take action.” 

Madeleine Bair links to a press release with details on the letter sent to Congress, Press-Freedom, Social-Justice Groups Call on Congress to Fund Journalism and Treat Local News as Essential Service During Pandemic. “This will only get worse if we don’t act to keep journalists on the job to cover this crisis,” notes Craig Aaron.

[Re]build that [pay]wall

Also at a time like this, removing paywalls on coronavirus coverage is noble. It also makes no sense, Howard Saltz argues in a column for Poynter. “What is it about a newspaper that suggests it must be free while the internet service provider necessary to read it is not?” Saltz wonders. Jason Fagone admits, “I agree with this but have been kind of afraid to say it, so thank you to the writer.” Adds Christi Warren, “Literally my brain every time I see this happen.”

“Thank goodness someone is saying this. The time now is not to give people content for free. It’s to do the best work you can, charge money for it, and use that money to keep paying the professionals being laid off by the collapse of the news industry,” says Oli Franklin-Wallis.

Some good media news...

At press time, the latest update from the Facebook Journalism Project showed 400 North American local newsrooms receiving FJP Community Network grants to support their coronavirus reporting.

The Racial Equity in Journalism (REJ) Fund at Borealis Philanthropy has awarded $2.3 million in grants to 16 news organizations serving communities of color across the U.S.

A broad-based, collaborative group of media funders, news enterprises and community information providers announced the creation of the $2.5 million Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund to ensure that communities in the Philadelphia area have access to reliable news and information throughout and after the coronavirus pandemic.  

And here’s a bright spot in Axios’s Media Trends report compiled by Sara Fischer: Hyperlocal (and profitable) digital news platform Patch had its strongest month ever in March for both revenue and traffic.

And lots of bad media news

Poynter is continually updating its list of the newsroom layoffs, furloughs and closures caused by the coronavirus. Or as Reid Wilson puts it, “A running, and deeply depressing, list.” Read it to see why Ren LaForme says, “This is the worst thing we have ever published.” As Justin Pritchard says, “When one pillar of democracy is hollowed out, the entire structure weakens.” 

LinkedIn News Editor Andrew Murfett has rounded up some of the articles and reactions to what’s happening in newsrooms across the country. Check out his post, Media outlets take a massive hit. 

How things have changed 

“We’re using apps less and websites more. We’re using Nextdoor and video chat more. Readership of local/mainstream news sites up. @ellawinthrop @nathanielpopper on changing habits.” That’s Pui-Wing Tam, giving us a nice summary of the analysis by Ella Koeze and Nathaniel Popper of The New York Times on how The Virus Changed the Way We Internet. (Also, “Is ‘internet’ now a verb?” Stephanie Strom would like to know.)  

Jay Yarow highlights, “‘CNBC, the business news site, has seen readership skyrocket.’ Thank you to the readers and viewers who count on us to deliver accurate, timely news in a challenging time.” Elana Zak notices, “People want local news in times of crisis. In the last month, traffic to the San Francisco Chronicle has skyrocketed 150%. Both the Boston Globe and Seattle Times also saw major jumps in traffic. It’s not too late to subscribe to your local news site.”

Speaking of local news, Kristen Kornbluth of the Charleston, S.C., Post and Courier tells us she’s “doing some Hard Hitting Journalism today.” Maybe not the most serious of stories, but still, this is pretty cool and it’s something you can certainly make use of right now. She’s compiled scenes from Charleston captured by the paper’s photographers over the years into a Charleston-themed collection of Zoom backgrounds. “Smart stuff from Charleston, SC’s @postandcourier,” says Newley Purnell. 

Phillip Smith says this is his “☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️Morning espresso read.” The Membership Muzzle explores how 15+ member-driven news organizations are adapting membership appeals, events, and more.

And Lucinda Southern of Digiday takes a look at how The Financial Times is adapting its events business. Simon Owens thinks, “We’re about to find out if people are really willing to pay for online only conferences. My guess is that if they do, it’ll be for a fraction of what they pay to attend in-person conferences.”

A few more

• The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has announced that it’s teaming up with the Tow Center to launch a global study of how the COVID-19 crisis is transforming journalism. 
• Nicole Sperling of The New York Times writes about Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s $1.8 billion gamble: launching the streaming app Quibi — in the middle of a pandemic.
• CNN has bought privacy-minded recommendations startup Canopy. CNET’s Joan E. Solsman reports that Canopy’s 15-person team will more than double the number of people working on CNN’s “NewsCo” project to build a platform for highly personalized news.
• Newley Purnell of The Wall Street Journal explains how Facebook’s WhatsApp is battling coronavirus misinformation. “This is basically social distancing for memes, and is a very good idea,” says Matt Locke.
• The New York Times’ Sperling also reported on last week’s departure of The Hollywood Reporter’s top editor, Matthew Belloni, after a dispute with its publisher, Valence Media. Sources tell Sperling that Belloni pushed back on pressure by the publisher to report favorably on people and projects with ties to film and TV studio MRC, which was founded by Valence Media’s two chief executives, Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu.
• The Pulitzer Prize Board has decided to postpone the announcement of the 2020 awards, originally scheduled for April 20. The awards will now be announced on May 4 at 3 p.m., via livestream at Pulitzer.org.

From the Muck Rack Team

It’s harder than ever to stand out among journalists you’re pitching, audiences you’re aiming to reach and—let’s face it—potential employers. That’s why we’ve launched Muck Rack’s Fundamentals of Media Relations Certification. We’re offering the course for free because, at the end of the day, better media relations helps both PR practitioners and journalists alike. 

For those working in communications in the time of coronavirus, at-home, livestreamed interviews are now the rule rather than the exception. On the Muck Rack Blog, Stephanie Matthews, Executive Director of Golin Global and a former TV news producer, shows you how to be your own producer and make the best of a livestreamed media interview. 

While many PR pros are fearful of budget cuts and job losses, managing client comfort nonetheless remains a key part of the job. This is an especially challenging task in the music industry, where the majority of artists earn a living from touring and live performances and saw that revenue vanish in an instant. Justin Joffe recently spoke with Mike Caulo, Publicist at Merge Records, and Joe Sivick, VP of Publicity & Marketing at Missing Piece Group, about how they’re helping their artist clients navigate the COVID-19 crisis by helping them tell their stories in new ways. Check out that interview on the Muck Rack Blog, Helping clients navigate the COVID-19 crisis: Music PR.

Question of the week

In his piece for Poynter, Howard Saltz encourages newspapers to “go all the way. Put the paywalls back up. We never should have taken them down.” Do you think that’s the right move? Should certain stories remain freely available to all?