A few days ago I shared an op-ed on my personal Facebook page by a doctor in Los Angeles who wrote that she was running out of compassion for the people unwilling to get the COVID vaccine. Photo by Province of British Columbia's photostream via Flickr “Last year, a case like this would have flattened me,” the doctor wrote of a man who had refused to be vaccinated and was … [Read more...] about Local media have role in fighting vaccine hesitancy, misinformation
Working moms push for flexibility to remain as newsrooms open again
Like many journalists in the early months of the pandemic, Susie An was mostly working from home. Draped in a blanket, her radio equipment propped on a big box of diapers, the education reporter at WBEZ in Chicago voiced her news stories and features from a closet. With schools and daycares closed, her days were hectic working from home with her sons, ages 7 and 3. “My children … [Read more...] about Working moms push for flexibility to remain as newsrooms open again
The pandemic exposed deep inequality. We shouldn’t forget that in our race to ‘normal’
Every year since I became a journalism professor, I’m asked to do this strange academic ritual called an “annual report.” In that report, I’m required to document every course I teach, every article I’ve written, every meeting of substance, every project. It’s a basic accounting of my time that the college can then use to tell me if I’m pulling my weight. Of course it’s more … [Read more...] about The pandemic exposed deep inequality. We shouldn’t forget that in our race to ‘normal’
News outlets need to dig harder in reporting about policing in their communities
The initial press release from the Minnesota Police Department was headlined, “Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction.” That’s how police first described the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, after former police officer Derek Chauvi kneeled on the 46-year-old’s neck and back for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted of murdering Floyd on April … [Read more...] about News outlets need to dig harder in reporting about policing in their communities
Covering hate: ‘This is not a geographic problem. It’s an American problem.’
In September 2018, racist flyers from a neo-Nazi group were left on cars parked at a community college in Southern Illinois. A few local news outlets reported on the incident and the college’s subsequent denouncement that followed. But then the story was mostly dropped until the next year when the same flyers from the same group appeared a second time. This time a suspect … [Read more...] about Covering hate: ‘This is not a geographic problem. It’s an American problem.’