March 29-30: COVID-19 has created a different direction for journalists

Trump's attacks on the media have continued even more during the COVID-19 pandemic when journalists are considered essential workers.

Bail Out Journalists. Let Newspaper Chains Die.

March 29: In a New York Times article, Elizabeth Green, CEO of a nonprofit education news organization, Chalkbeat, is experiencing the first hand shift of local newspaper journalism.

Instead of investing in the local news business, Green believes the future of journalism lies with a new generation of nonprofit news organizations. Rather than focusing on the dying brand of local news, Green suggests it is time to abandon for-profit newspapers and move towards a national network of new online newsrooms.

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of journalists as essential workers in order to bring the necessary information to the public. The crisis has highlighted the glaring flaw of advertising among journalism which might allow for a new form of independent journalist organizations to thrive.

Facebook Aims $100 Million at Media Hit by the Coronavirus

March 30: According to the New York Times, Facebook announced a donation of $25 million in grants to local news outlets and will spend $75 million in a marketing drive aimed at international news organizations impacted by the economic burden threatening media industry revenues.

Facebook has also continued to support journalism with a pledge of $300 million to invest in local news by the end of 2021.

Campbell Brown, Facebook’s vice president for global news partnerships, said in a post, “If people needed more proof that local journalism is a vital public service, they’re getting it now.”

Donations like Facebook’s could help to support media companies that already have had to make serious budget cuts including Buzzfeed and American Media.

Trump attacks journalists for asking 'snarky' questions on coronavirus testing in US

March 30: According to the Guardian, Donald Trump said that federal physical distancing guidelines might be toughened for journalists covering the White House briefings as he urged Americans to help fight the coronavirus with tough measures through April.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said more than 1 million Americans had been tested for the coronavirus, which he called a milestone.

But when questioned about testing per capita in the US, Trump wrongly claimed that the population of Seoul in South Korea was 38 million people (it is actually closer to 10 million people) and told the reporter to stop asking ‘snarky’ questions.