The flood of facts and spin from elected officials' daily coronavirus briefings presents just one challenge to journalists working the all-encompassing coronavirus beat. Overstretched reporters must sift through claims ranging from the disputed to the outright dangerous, while TV and radio producers continue to debate whether to broadcast in real time the president's free-wheeling, factually-chaotic remarks. In this essay, Bob examines the questions surrounding coronavirus coverage, and points out the pitfalls that the news media must take care to avoid.
This is a segment from our March 27, 2020 program, Playing The Hero.