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Journalism in the Age of Pandemics: Newsroom Guide

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Journalism in the Age of Pandemics: Newsroom Guide JOURNALISM IN THE AGE OF PANDEMICS Newsroom Guide Newsgathering Page 7 Storytelling Page 16 Innovation Page 28 Preparing For The Future Page 34 Takeaways Page 40 Contents 2 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics Science in the Newsroom is a In 2020, with the support of Temasek programme to help upskill newsrooms Foundation, a Singapore philanthropic and boost journalism focused on organisation, the programme focused addressing the major science related on Journalism in the Age of Pandemics. challenges of our time. Over two years the initiative has It was initiated in 2018 by the World included editor roundtables, innovation Editors Forum, the global network for workshops, journalist and editor editors within the World Association trainings and a global summit. This of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in guide brings together all the learnings response to the need for improved from the programme that should be Introduction engagement around issues of health, considered for any newsroom covering science and climate change, both within health whether it is beat journalism or a newsrooms and within the communities pandemic. they serve. The voices highlighted in the guide are experts in their fields of reporting, storytelling or science. 3 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics “Our newsrooms have been challenged key skills. We hope it is of value and we like never before in 2020 with a complex, encourage you to share it widely. fast moving story of a global crisis demanding all our focus and journalistic In the face of bewildering developments skill. COVID-19 struck at a time when such as the pandemic, made worse by science reporting skills, and indeed the viral spread of fake news, our general newsroom capacity, have been communities will increasingly look to us eroded in many newsrooms by resource for help in making sense of their world.” constraints. The economic fallout risks further weakening newsrooms, but the pandemic has shown the need for, and Foreword value of good journalism, not least by authoritative science correspondents. Warren Fernandez This handbook, made possible by Editor In Chief, Straits Times generous support from the Temasek President, World Editors Forum Foundation, is a contribution from the World Editors Forum to helping newsrooms develop and enhance 4 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics “Future pandemics will emerge more “We have faced an overwhelming amount of often, spread more rapidly, do more information on COVID-19. The size and intensity damage to the world economy and of this ‘infodemic’ has led to confusion: people kill more people than COVID-19 unless don’t know who to believe, what kind of there is a transformative change in information is right, what is trustworthy - and so the global approach to dealing with don’t know how to behave.” infectious diseases.” Dr Sylvie Briand Prof. Carlos Gonçalo das Neves Science in the Newsroom Science in the Newsroom Summit Summit Speaker Speaker Director of Epidemic and President Wildlife Disease Pandemic Diseases Association World Health Organization 5 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics In 2019 and 2020 WAN-IFRA brought science reporters together at workshops in London, Singapore and Glasgow with the intention of identifying challenges common to all. They collectively articulated both the key best practices newsrooms needed to adopt and listed the 12 things editors needed to hear about science journalism and science stories. The insights from these specialist reporters helped shape further elements of this programme and helped drive the training agenda used to upskill journalists in the time of pandemics. Practices Newsrooms Need to Adopt 12 Things Editors Need to Hear Stop being Science is Science Find the Trust science protective of Infographics good for dry needs science reporters all data days watchdogs Create more Explain Make a Be brave Science can time for Make it sexy through feature out of on science attract ad reporting scenarios science formats too money Find characters Add science Make stories Training will in the story reporting Think about Science can relevant to change the and make it to morning the kids be fun audience way we cover heartwarming meeting Statistics A press Science can Ask how it No more stock Consider the hold power release is not grow your changes me? images formats to account a story audience 6 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics NEWSGATHERING SCIENCE IN THE NEWSROOM 7 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics SCIENCE “Don’t be intimidated by seemingly JOURNALISM impenetrable blocks of text and SHOULDN’T BE strings of unfamiliar acronyms — INTIMIDATING scientific research papers usually follow the same, highly-structured format. The key to understanding is to know where in the paper to look for the information you need.” The Science The Newsgathering: Reading Newsgathering: Andrew Mills Science in the Newsroom Trainer Jumpline Co-Founder and Journalism Educator 8 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics Reading scientific papers, reports and findings is an essential skill in the reporting of pandemics. Andrew Mills, a journalism educator and Science in the Newsroom Trainer, suggests following three key principles: 1 2 3 Scan the abstract — identify Dissect the introduction Fast-forward to the end of the The Science The the broader implications of section — it usually explains discussion section — this is the research, understand the scientific context where scientists state why the what was done to whom, surrounding the research, research is significant. start a list of unfamiliar terms includes citations from other Newsgathering: Reading Newsgathering: and acronyms. scientists who might serve as secondary sources and the last paragraph usually answers the question: what does this research achieve? 9 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics During health crises READ EVERYTHING ASK STUPID QUESTIONS traditional journalistic rigour This means the whole paper and not just Don’t worry that an expert source will judge the press release. Universities, journals, you for what seems like a silly or uninformed applied in the right way can corporations will always use spin and an question. If you have the question, your enable writers, editors and abstract might not give you the whole picture. audience likely will too. It is your job to cut reporters to analyse sources through jargon. with the scrutiny that will allow them to become an IDENTIFY THE LIMITATIONS KEEP IT REAL expert in the science of Remember that there will always be a You will likely need to report on a preliminary a story for that moment. limitation to research or the researchers. Could study of cures and treatments but don’t report Science in the Newsroom the author have been influenced by known or them out of context. Did people drop out of a unknown biases? You need to judge if there is study? Why? How many were left at the end of & Sources Trainer, Fergus Bell, shares anything that could change the way you tell the study? Were there any long-term his top tips for interacting the story. side-effects? with the science...and the scientists: Newsgathering: Science Newsgathering: DON’T AVOID MATHS USE LANGUAGE CAREFULLY If you need to use figures or crunch some When you are cutting through jargon don’t numbers, do it. It will allow you to ask the right revert to over-simplified language that questions and help you to keep cutting through might actually change the portrayal of the the jargon. science. Be careful how you use anecdotes or comparisons. 10 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics If you need to fact-check or verify health-related claims or content, then it is essential you apply what are now the well-established verification processes to information coming from any platform or source. Consider these five important steps: “What is important 1. Identify the claim or hoax and is for journalists to investigate the source be able to produce 2. Confirm that it is fact checkable content that is 3. Isolate the precise detail you will check fact-checked and & Verification 4. Consider the barriers and any bias shareable.” 5. Find and confirm the facts you need to confirm or correct the record Kritika Goel Newsgathering: Fact-Checking Fact-Checking Newsgathering: Science in the Newsroom Summit Speaker Associate Editor, Fact-Check The Quint.com 11 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics REMAIN VIGILANT FOR DISINFORMATION “We can’t stop disinformation. As journalists, it’s crucial that we learn to recognise it; to prioritise so that we can maximise our valuable resources; to decisively confirm or debunk; and to present our results in a way that captures and convinces our often sceptical audience.” & Verification Eoghan Sweeney Newsgathering: Fact-Checking Fact-Checking Newsgathering: Science in the Newsroom Trainer Founder, OSINT Essentials 12 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics How to check science and health claims: Identification of the claim and investigation of the source Establish authenticity through Verify content through: ascertaining: Geolocation Location Ownership Knowledge & expertise Affiliations & potential agenda & Verification Ask questions: Examine motivations/potential agenda via: Make contact for clarification Evaluating activity for leanings & biases Newsgathering: Fact-Checking Fact-Checking Newsgathering: Establishing networks & affiliations Checking for coordinated/ duplicated activity Credit: Eoghan Sweeney 13 Journalism in the Age of Pandemics Newsgathering:& Verification Fact-Checking 14 How to check science and health claims: Confirming if something is fact checkable How checkable is a piece of content? Look for things that can be found in recognised research or other records. Focus less on opinions, generalisation or speculation. Figures Quotes Identified Sources Context Links to originals Identifiable visuals Opinion Speculation Unnamed Sources Isolated info No links Unclear, Ambiguous Journalism in the Age of Pandemics Credit: Eoghan Sweeney How to check science and health claims: Consider the barriers and any bias We can all be affected by bias without realising it.
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