“It is the first time I have seen the streets of Accra swept clean. Free of human traffic, free of vehicular traffic,” says Sanda, a journalist with one of Ghana’s most reputable media organizations.
“Basically, they have now shut down pubs, cafes, most retail stores but supermarkets are still opened. But unlike most countries where people are not allowed out here in the UK, we are allowed out, ” Faith, a BBC Wales journalist shares from the UK.
“So right now India is on a three-week lockdown and there is a good chance that the lockdown will be extended for at least three more weeks,” Rushati reveals from India.
These journalists are describing the conditions of the world they now report about and for. Just few months after the novel coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global pandemic. Since then, it has affected 185 countries, infecting more than 1.6 million and killing over 85,000 worldwide, as at the time of writing (according to the John Hopkins University of Medicines).
Of course, leading the fight are those making the toughest decisions, enforcing stricter laws and delivering speeches of hope. In fact, the director of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, commended Ghana’s president for his “ we know how to bring the economy back to live but what we do not know is how to bring people back to live” statement. Nations are relying on their leaders for hope and safety but the world has never been so thankful to the health workers on the frontline against the unprecedented global pandemic.
“But we are also risking our lives.”
Umaru Sanda Amadu is a reporter and a news anchor for Citi FM/TV, and he says since the city he works in (Accra) has been in lockdown, he hasn’t been locked in his house: “It is now our job to go to the wards, the testing centers, and follow the patients when they doing the contact tracing. We are there with our cameras because we want to bring the news to the world!” He leans forward in his car seat. “But we are also risking our lives. We are closer to the disease than so many of you.”
The crisis has forced some countries and governments to shutdown businesses; some countries are in a total lockdown, others are partially locked down. In some cases, only parts of the country are in lockdown, and only ‘essential workers’ are allowed to work or step out. In countries like Ghana, the government has locked down parts of the county, but supermarkets, hospitals and pharmacies, utility services, and transportation services are still in operation, and so is the media.
In Mauritius, Aninash Dhondoo is preparing to attend the press briefing. The government has recently allowed supermarkets to open after a week of a complete lockdown. People in his country now go to the supermarket in an alphabetical order. He has been delegated by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation to attend the Prime Minister’s press briefings, which he says is his main source of news gathering regarding COVID-19. “Journalists even work during war,” he says. “But although we are giving so much importance to the frontliners – doctors, policemen, as they deserve it, I think the journalist here doesn’t get that credit”.
Households are glued to their televisions and radio sets, online traffic has risen, the world is relying on the media for information, among others, more than they have ever done before. These men and women are out there, some very far from home, working around the clock to ensure that the public gets the latest COVID-19 updates, news and other media products.
How is the journalist feeling?
Unlike Sanda, who is always on the ground reporting, Rushati Mukherjee says her news gathering is from other news sources. Two weeks ago she was stuck in Delhi where she worked because she couldn’t leave before the lockdown was announced (on 24th March). Fortunately, she is now with family and is working from home.
India’s lockdown saw thousands of people trying to return home from the capital where they worked. It was a tragic scene as the young and old desperately journeyed on foot to their villages, under the scorching sun, with no food. “At the time I reported on this at least 22 migrants had died from this – trying to walk back home over vast distances” Rushati recalls sadly. Like most people, the news and pressure around COVID-19 has affected her. “It has had a massive impact on my mental health. Like today, I took a day off from work because I have been under such immense stress these last few weeks,” she expressed. “It’s been horrible, looking at the relentless negative news cycle.”
Back in Ghana, Sanda is worried for his family, who he returns home to everyday after hours of reporting on the coronavirus pandemic. He is married with two young daughters, who are now home with their mother due to the lockdown.
“When I get home from work, the first thing my daughters do is to run and hug me and they don’t care where I have been to during the day. We have been told to observe social distancing, but I can’t distance myself from my children,” he says. “My wife has got a disinfectant that she puts in front of the house. I use that before I step into the doorway and when I am inside, she expects me to remove my clothing and wash whatever I am supposed to wash. But children will not understand that, so I am foreseeing the next few weeks being a bit of hell between myself and them”.
Though he is taking all necessary precautions, he is scared for himself, his wife and children and also for his old parents living in the village.
But Eugenia Akorpha Kumi, a reporter for Metro TV in Accra, feels differently. Every morning she steps out of her home with her ID card and goes about her work without worry.
“Funny enough, I am not scared. I have always loved being on the ground,” she said, laughing. “I will rather choose to work on the ground over being in a confined space. I go out with the consciousness, even though sometimes I forget that I need to be careful but I am not scared.”
COVID-19 is Influencing Journalism and challenging Journalists
There is no doubt that the global pandemic has changed the way that journalists now go about their work. Faith Clarke is a UK-based freelance Journalist for BBC Wales and other publications. Due to the social distancing protocols, she reports from home by speaking to people on the phone, by zoom or Skype.
“Right now I am trying to write a feature and like most journalists would do, when you speak to people you’re trying to pick up on the way they sound, how they’re acting, their facial expressions, and the setting in which you’re speaking to them in,” she says. These elements make a great feature and having to judge these by only the sound affects your writing. “You have less to write about essentially”.
Faith also works on a show for BBC Radio Wales. She says the show now revolves around COVID-19 with less variety of stories than it used to be. There’s now a risk of constantly repeating information as having the same guests on the show. Some compromises have to be made, for instance, regarding the quality of audio as it is becoming less and less possible to get guest into the studio for interviews.
News-gathering and delivery have changed drastically for most journalists around the world, and even though information is in high demand, there’s also the risk of misinformation. It’s incredible how fake news is spreading, even faster than the novel coronavirus. The public is now looking to more credible news outlets and publications for information. Accuracy and professionalism is now more than ever, the journalist’s greatest assets.
“This is the time journalism has to rise because there’s a lot of information out there. I mean people still trust us to give them the right information,” says Eugenia. “If they read something online they’d still want to verify from trusted news sources and portals”.
Sanda believes that this is also the time for the public to be more responsible in how they consume the news:
“It is your personal duty to crosscheck and be sure that what you’ve heard is true or not.”
Agnes Ansah works for the Chronicle, a newspaper in Ghana, and since the government declared Accra on lockdown, her organization has seized producing the paper. The newspaper is mainly distributed on the street by newspaper vendors, but the streets are now empty, forcing the organization to operate only online.
“Right now we are not selling the papers, and that is a part of our revenue going down the drain”, she says. “If you used to produce 500 copies of papers, you have to bring it down to 100 or 200 because there’s nobody on the street to buy it.”
It is now up to these organizations and print journalists to take up the challenge and make the most of the online traffic. The reporters must adapt their writing styles to fit online, the organisations must decide on the media (photos and/or videos) to use for online publishing, and also think of different ways to raise revenue with their websites.
Is it now time to appreciate Journalists?
Media Organizations like the BBC and Citi FM/TV have put in place measures to ensure that their workers are safe. However, like many businesses in the world, media companies are struggling financially. Some journalists are working with fewer resources and are not adequately equipped with PPE. In Ghana, the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) has recently called for the government to announce stimulus packages, transportation and PPE for frontline media practitioners, as has been done for health workers.
The journalist job has always been a thankless one but as they risk their lives to bring the public credible and reliable information regarding the COVID-19, is it now time to start appreciating this profession?
“Really, it is not for the credit. What will make you happy as a journalist is if your report saves somebody’s life or helps alleviates somebody’s problem. For me, the inner satisfaction is worth everything,” says Eugenia
Sanda couldn’t agree more: “I don’t really do this job expecting plaudits. I do it because I know that I have to serve the people and if I do it and they are satisfied and they celebrate me them I am relaxed.”
The post Stella Darley writes: The journalists on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 appeared first on Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana, Current Affairs, Business News , Headlines, Ghana Sports, Entertainment, Politics, Articles, Opinions, Viral Content.
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