Dear Subscriber, Last fall at a meeting of MLive’s editors, our team conducted a brainstorming exercise on getting prepared to cover a disaster. At the time, mass shootings were in the headlines. We were also mindful of natural events, like tornadoes or floods, or even the specter of a terrorist act. But sometimes a disaster takes an unforeseen, nebulous twist. Coronavirus is proving that now, across the globe. As it turns out, a pandemic checks every box that our editors put up on whiteboards: The importance of preparation Timely and accurate information, for the staff and to the public Sound coordination and collaboration Efficient use of resources Staying safe, and responding to the human stresses of a disaster All of those checkpoints work for a news organization that spans the state physically, and has the most readers in Michigan on a daily basis. But they also work across a society that is struggling to understand the threat level of what literally is a novel virus. I’ll get this out of the way, right now: Coronavirus is a public health story, not a political story. The debates happening over falsification or overamplification of the warnings and best practices related to coronavirus do not factor into fundamental journalistic decisions being made every moment in our newsroom. Every one of our journalists goes through the same steps we use on every news story: Investigate, report, fact-check, publish, update. We knew coronavirus was coming, so we prepared by ramping up posting on MLive.com of government and health-agency advisories, as well as news updates as the virus rippled across the U.S. and globe. We reached out to community and state emergency management officials, government offices, and health officers. And, we issued internal guidelines to staff members on keeping themselves safe. Simple things, like staying home if they feel sick; cleaning their equipment regularly; using caution when reporting in crowd settings. But I also reinforced something fundamental: Reporting on matters of public importance is why we are here. Our staff members need to be prudent, but they also need to remember that we run toward the fires. We are there for you, the reader. We accept some risk to keep you safe and informed. We provide real-time updates that allow you to make informed decisions for your own health and safety. We are documenting history, as it happens. Hysteria and misinformation grows in a vacuum. MLive journalists have been working diligently to ensure there is substance and context to fill that void. Keep tuned to MLive for daily news updates, as well as FAQs on the evolving guidelines for staying safe, as well as practical tips on preparing for the virus around your home. If you haven’t yet, sign up for our breaking news updates, as well as our daily morning newsletter, and afternoon 3@3 newsletter. And yes: Wash, wash, wash your hands. We’ll get through this together. |