Pandemedia: How Covid Changed Journalism

(Paperback)

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Description

The Covid-19 pandemic ripped through the world with no regard for borders, age, status or wealth. It was brutal in its impact and created a raft of new social norms. And without warning, the pandemic changed journalism, in some ways irrevocably.

This arresting collection of essays from some of Australias top media minds examines how the pandemic altered the news. Some changes accelerated shifts already underway, such as the rise of user-generated content, the weaponising of disinformation, and the demand for data journalism. Other changes were unexpected, such as the emergence of the home-based expert and a story with a very, very long tail. Many reporters were forced to write, file and broadcast from home. Numbers took on a new importance. And every day, journalists had to find new ways to tell the same story, one they too were living through.

With contributors including Stan Grant, Michelle Grattan, David Speers, Alan Kohler, Lisa Millar and Dr Norman Swan, Pandemedia takes readers behind the scenes of Australias media organisations to give a firsthand perspective on the new reign of the fourth estate.

Reviews

As divided as the world became, we really were all in it together, and journalists made it our business to communicate the challenges of all sectors of society. Perhaps this book will communicate ours.

The pandemic presented a medical, political, logistical and emotional upheaval all at once, which in some ways fundamentally changed the way journalists do our jobs.

These essential essays chart the COVID inflection point, plumbing and explaining the turbulence that now surrounds our shared space of news and information.

During COVID-19, the publics desire for accurate, up-to-date information became insatiable. This book tells the compelling story of how journalists met this need amid a climate of fear and distrust, and an erosion of freedom.

Author Bio

Tracey Kirklandhas spent more than 30 years writing for broadcast and print. During Covid, she was the ABCs national newsgathering editor and is now the continuous news editor for ABC News Channel. Gavin Fangis one of Australias most experienced news executives, with 25 years in print and broadcast journalism. He led the ABCs news teams during the pandemic. A former foreign correspondent, he is deputy director of ABC News.