Reporting on the delta variant: what you need to know
A year ago, the pandemic outbreak forced journalists to become knowledgeable and specialized in public health reporting. Journalists who focused on other types of reporting rather than health reporting had to redouble their effort to acquire the knowledge they need to cover the pandemic, Covid19, and public health. In the last year and a half, Covid has become huge news as all journalists are adapting to its coverage in our lives, politics, society, economy, diplomacy, and tourism.
As the delta variant surges and becomes more dangerous, it further reinforces the need for journalists to specialize in pandemic reporting. The possibility of a new pandemic wave due to the delta variant should find journalists ready for a new round of pandemic coverage in the next few months. But the situation may be even more complicated than when covering Covid a year ago during the pandemic outbreak. Journalists are being asked to focus on a new type of virus - the delta variant - and possible new mutations of the virus if the concerns expressed by scientists are confirmed.
As a result of the new circumstances of the delta variant, journalists, especially foreign correspondents for their countries of origin, are advised to remember some essential guidelines to help them cover the pandemic.
1. Trust scientists as a source of information on the delta variant.
With the proliferation of false news and misinformation, the pandemic period has emphasized the importance of journalists for the functioning of our Democracies, as well as for the security of our society. As Covid has spread, misinformation about the disease has skyrocketed, having a direct impact on public health and safety. In the past year and a half, the public sphere has seen the emergence of conspiracy theories around the pandemic, mainly expressed through the anti-vaccination movement. Due to the delta mutation, journalists need to be extremely careful what they broadcast and especially what sources they use and cite in their reporting. Reporters need to certify the competence and credentials of the experts they use as sources. Journalists should ensure that they check first whether an expert has relevant experience in relation to the delta variant, then seek out those experts who are most knowledgeable about the Covid virus and its mutations.
2. Collaboration among journalists is crucial.
The pandemic is not confined to one country. The journalists covering the pandemic, especially the delta variant, need access to a wide range of sources. Still, they also need to know how to analyze the evolution of the pandemic from country to country. Journalists often must use comparative data and other countries' data for their reporting, which requires access to sources from those countries. That is why the concept of cooperation between journalists in different countries is so important. For example, concerning Covid and the delta variant, the International Center for Journalists has created a Facebook group (ICFJ Global Health Crisis Reporting Forum) to help international journalists covering the pandemic connect with each other, exchange information, and facilitate the circulation of information about Covid and public health. The group enables journalists to search with a simple post for sources and information from other countries. (You can join the ICFJ Global Health Crisis Reporting Forum on Facebook here).
3. Get help from others.
As people die and get sick every day, journalists are tasked with reporting the news. This is likely to damage journalists' mental health, frustrating them, or even making them depressed. Journalists who cover this pandemic incur a high psychological cost like bearing witness in war, where correspondents often suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). While some may think that because they're not physically fighting on the front lines of battle, as soldiers do, that they will somehow be unscathed; but, for reporters covering major events such as these, it turns out there isn't any safety zone when you must watch a human tragedy unfold daily before your eyes. If you feel anxiety, depression, or any other type of psychological distress, ask for help; talk to your manager, your colleagues, your family, or friends.
