News and information to help journalists serve the public and stay safe.
May 28, 2020
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Images take us into hospitals, grocery stores, even empty spaces to show us the impact of coronavirus on the people and places affected by the pandemic. Award-winning independent photojournalist  Melissa Lyttle   and documentary photographer Rosem Morton , who is also a nurse , will talk about photography, trauma, and healing. 

Registration is open   for this conversation, which will take place on Zoom.
Baltimore Sun reporter Colin Campbell went viral with a photo of himself at a Maryland COVID-19 testing site hefting a makeshift cardboard sign with his phone number and affiliation — an oversized calling card tailor made for social distance reporting.

Then he was furloughed.
 
Campbell’s interviewing ingenuity, captured by Sun photographer Jerry Jackson last week and retweeted by Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski , illustrates how journalists are finding their way to the front lines of the pandemic to tell people’s stories . 

His week of unpaid leave is the result of a union vote to avoid layoffs. It’s a stark reminder of the stresses facing the industry, made only worse by the outbreak. The strains on the Sun have prompted a #SaveOurSun campaign , led by the Baltimore Sun Guild, to sell the newspaper and make it a locally-owned nonprofit.

“I’m on unpaid furlough from The Sun this week, thanks to a particularly dastardly combination of corporate greed and the ongoing COVID-19 recession,” he tweeted Sunday. He encouraged followers to write to Terry Jimenez, the CEO of the Sun’s parent company, Tribune Publishing.

Campbell says he’s not one to gripe about his current unpaid status. He has friends who have lost jobs temporarily or permanently. “So I don't want to complain, but it is kind of frustrating to see that what people want at this time more than anything is information. And to put people whose job it is to go out and get it on ice is frustrating.”

We interviewed Campbell this week about his street reporting and his furlough.

Let’s talk first about what initially caught our attention, which was your signboard. What prompted that and what were you working on?

Campbell : First of all I want to give credit where credit is due. We completely stole that sign idea. It was stolen from a good friend of mine, Ellie Silverman , who is a reporter at the Philly Inquirer…

My editor said okay, today [May 21] is the first day of testing for folks who are asymptomatic and we'd like to try to do a scene piece on what that looks like.

We thought maybe a smart way to do this would be to have folks call us . The concern always tends to be HIPAA related: “Oh we don't want you taking pictures, we don't want you bothering people, they’re patients, they're not basically served up for interviews.” And we understand that, we don't want to infringe on anybody's privacy. 


(Photo of Colin Campbell by Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun)
Six weeks ago, Zeke Warren-Weigmann was one of 409 aspiring young writers intrigued by a pop-up writing contest hastily imagined as a quarantine diversion by a couple of veteran journalists. Today, he is the Big Scribble champion, fulfilling five writing prompts with essays about haircuts, bad sushi and the embrace of a family not his own.

Warren-Weigmann is a junior at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. In a podcast with author and former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman , one of the two creators of the contest, Warren-Weigmann credited his father, Random House editor and former Esquire editor Mark Warren, with helping develop his writing skills.

In the podcast, Two Writers Slinging Yang , Warren-Weigmann told Pearlman that he entered the contest to hone his skills and get a professional critique of his writing. “And then something to pass the time over quarantine, really, because I had classes, but at this point classes are just so incredibly dull.”

As the winner, he will receive a $200 gift certificate to the independent bookstore of this choice, a letter of recommendation from the judges, and one-on-one consultations chosen from a long list of journalists and writers across the country. 

Runners up were Kaia Hubbard of the University of San Diego and Joe Levin of the University of Texas. They will receive a $100 gift certificate and consultations with writers. The top 10 finalists receive a letter of recommendation and a consultation.

In announcing the results of the contest, Pearlman applauded all the competitors. “We need you more than ever,” he said. “We need your effort. We need your truth. We need your writing. We need your passion more than ever. So please keep bringing it.”

Some managers focus exclusively on results and forget about the people in the process. They may be promoted for their journalistic skills and lack the emotional intelligence their team needs. Here are five ways to quickly improve your EQ , help your team be resilient right now, and keep the give-get ledger balanced . As you’re developing these empathy muscles, ask a buddy to be your spotter and let you know how you’re doing.

Advice from  Jill Geisler , Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago, Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership
Vivid dreams and restless nights have become hallmarks of life during the pandemic . But not getting enough rest can amplify the effects of stress on the body and impact your attitude and ability while you are awake. 

Stabilizing sleep takes experimentation and patience. Expert tips for getting to — then staying — asleep rely on finding a solid routine that works for you: 


Read on for more self-care tips, or share your own .
Correction : Yesterday’s newsletter incorrectly located Class of 2020 member Daniel Toomey in Boston; he is actually in Los Angeles. 
This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, Jim Kuhnhenn, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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