April 5-7: Handling the hardships of COVID-19 coverage

Yamiche Alcindor, a White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour and a political contributor to NBC News and MSNBC, is one of the many journalists Trump has lashed out on during daily White House briefings.

Journalists threatened and detained as countries on multiple continents restrict coronavirus coverage

April 5: The Washington Post reported that journalists all around the world are being threatened and detained as multiple countries are restricting coronavirus coverage.

Specifically, in Russia and Latin America, governments are threatening press freedoms as they shape coverage to avoid criticism of information that authorities find harmful to the public.

Governments in the Middle East have detained and punished reporters who question their state’s response to the epidemic.

David Kaye, the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of press and opinion, commented on the denial of press freedom.

“During a public health emergency, there are extremely strong requirements of governments to provide truthful information to the public so that we as individuals and in our communities can make decisions about what we should be doing. That depends on a vibrant press that doesn’t feel that when it reports that it could be subject to intimidation, threats, or even criminal sanction.”

Trump reignites conflict with PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor

April 6: President Trump continued his conflict with PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor on Twitter after berating her for questions at an earlier White House briefing conference, according to The Grio.

Trump quoted a tweet about Alcindor asking a hostile question by saying that she was a “very biased journalist.”

Many other journalists such as Eugene Gu, Andy Osstroy, and Jeanne Tredway came to the defense of Alcindor by saying Trump had no right to use the term “hostile” for a black woman doing her job covering the coronavirus pandemic.

Alcindor's responded to Trump in a thread of Tweets below:

Rather than letting Trump continue to berate her, Yamiche Alcindor defended herself on Twitter and provided facts to support her relevant questions.

April 7: Barbara Allen from the Poynter wrote an article providing advice for student journalists to cope with the task of writing about death caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Her tips include:

· Making a plan

· Interviewing skillfully

· Gathering information from sources

· Deciding what to ask

· Gathering pictures

· Checking for style and accuracy

· Preserve your self-care

For self-care, Allen advised being empathetic towards victims in interviews as well as reaching out for help if you are struggling to cope with the trauma of the job. It is better to express one's feelings rather than keeping them bottled up. Talking about your experiences can be the best solution.