Covid 19; Journalists are the most exposed to the pandemic than medical practioners ,hence the need for media owners to provide preventive devices ;scientist
As Covid 19 report cases keep on risen on daily basis ,while causing serious set back to all sectors of human endeavors, investigation revealed that Journalists appear to be the most exposed to the pandemic more than security and medical personel ,due to their interaction with various people they encountered every day while gathering and collecting news in various communities,
Journalists are working around the clock to provide readers with comprehensive, up-to-date reporting on the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Much of this coverage is focused on the reality of the crisis in order to deliver authentic and vital information regarding the outbreak of the global pandemic that is consuming lives and infecting thousands of people world-wide.
A science –climatologist Dr piman Hoffman, who is also the assistant Director African Climate reporters has said ,it became necessary for all media organization across the globe both electronic, prints and on –line flat form to provide the needed materials which would protect their reporters against getting infected with the pandemic while visiting Market ,train station, car park, marriages mosque and churches and other social gathering .
According to him, the out break of the pandemic has affected many private madia houses to the extend that they cant pay their staff normal salary ,while some of the media houses were forced to reduce the number of workers,
Large Number of African journalists has put their lives in dangers while carrying out their duties regarding Covid-19 update while also observing the critical situation of most of the hospital and other medical diagnosis center,
“If medical practioners/health care workers can used Protective clothes and equipment to prevent them catching coronavirus and other highly infectious diseases, then the media has nothing to protect them against the virus,hence the need to help health and environmental reporters with necessary items”
“The danger is On daily basis ,in as far as journalists meet and interview many peoples without knowing their health status,hence the need for all media organization to be providing the needed materials to protect their reporters”
Many media organisations have reported slumps in advertising revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said ,it is advisable for all media owners to provide facemask, Hand globe, sanizers to their reporters in order to protect them against getting infected with any carrier of the virus .
Adding that journalist are the most exposed to the pandemic than any other Humanitarian NGO/CSO, or medical personel ,this is as a result of how they carried out their daily assignment in both rural and urban centres.
To Combat misinformation about the daily cases of the pandemic, there is need to for Civil society organization, and Non-government organization with various ministries of health to be briefing the media on update of the situation,in order to be having correct figures
The CoVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted the Journalism industry and affected journalits’s work. Many local newspapers have been severely affected by losses in advertising revenues from coronavirus; journalists have been laid off, and some publications have folded
Journalists have worked to produce Coverage of the pandemic combating misinformation, providing Public health updates, and supplying entertainment to help people cope with the virus’s impact
Online advertisements also dropped to avoid running ads next to coronavirus coverage
Stressing also that, its high time, for every media organization to be training their journalists on weekly basis on various ways of preventing the spread of the pandemic through organizing an on- line media workshop ,webinar on issues related to Covid 19 and other tropical diseases in their region.
While calling for the creation of solution journalism on Covid 19 ,he equally appealed to all network of African journalists, press council and network for the protection of journalists, with stake holders on health on training health reporters on various preventive ways against covid 19.
He called on editors ,news publishers to always remind their reporters on the importance of social distancing when covering an event
All microphone should be in plastic leader,while avoiding hand shaking before or after any interview
“All media organization must ensure the safety of their reporters
Similarly More than 600 journalists have died of Covid-19 last year since March 1, a press freedom organisation said, calling for media workers to have priority access to vaccines.
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), which tracks the death of journalists around the world, said that of the 602 media workers known to have died from the new coronavirus, more than half were from Latin America, with 303 fatalities.
Some 145 deaths were recorded in Asia, with 94 in Europe, 32 in North America and 28 in Africa.
