The Covid-19 pandemic ripped through the world with no regard for borders, age, status or wealth. It was brutal in its impact and created a raft of new social norms. And without warning, the pandemic changed journalism, in some ways irrevocably. This arresting collection of essays from some of Australia’s top media minds examines how the pandemic altered the news. Some changes accelerated shifts already underway, such as the rise of user-generated content, the weaponizing of disinformation, and the demand for data journalism. Other changes were unexpected, such as the emergence of the home-based expert and a story with a very, very long tail. Many reporters were forced to write, file and broadcast from home. Numbers took on a new importance. And every day, journalists had to find new ways to tell the same story, one they too were living through. With contributors including Stan Grant, Michelle Grattan, David Speers, Alan Kohler, Lisa Millar and Dr Norman Swan, Pandemedia takes readers behind the scenes of Australia’s media organisations to give a firsthand perspective on the new reign of the fourth estate.
Author(s): Tracey Kirkland, Gavin Fang
Publisher: Monash University Publishing
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 318
City: Melbourne
Cover
Title Page
About this Book
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Cartoons by Warren Brown
Introduction
COVID Timeline
Part I: More than the Headlines
The Storytellers’ Story
An Honest Conversation
The Daily Presser
Breakfast Television
The Economic Pandemic
Part II: The Changing Newsroom
Fit to Print
Power Switch
Nightly News
A Media Newcomer Bringing Hope
Kohler’s Book Stack
Part III: The Trust Equation
A Question of Balance
Public Backlash
The Role of the Expert
Behind the Hard Border
The Slippery Truth
Febrile Nation
Part IV: The Journalist Experience
The Power of Purpose
From Moral Injury to Trauma Resilience
The Great Resignation
Making Your Way
Investigative Challenges
Part V: Innovation & New Media
The Use of Data for Storytelling
The Rise and Rise of TikTok
Staying the Course
The Success of Podcasting, Corona Style
The Virus: Live, Daily Programming
The News Media Bargaining Code
Part VI: A Place in the Community
Digital Transformation: ABC
Multicultural Messaging: SBS
Community Connections: NITV
Rural and Regional Media
A Tale of Two Cities: A Divided Sydney
Generation COVID: Storytelling for Gen Z
Part VII: Going Global
Tom Hanks, Trump’s America & COVID Journalism
Chasing Truth & Facing Jail
Dome of Despair
Hong Kong’s Citizen Journalist
China & the Virus of Tyranny
Acknowledgements
The Betoota Advocate: Light Relief in Dark Times
Contributor Bios
Notes
