The best journalism of 2020: Covering the pandemic

A year has passed since the novel coronavirus first emerged. Even with mass inoculation efforts underway, it continues to rage on, with little sign of abating.  Throughout this year, we’ve relied on journalism to make sense of it all—especially as the virus’s spread frequently outpaced our abilities to comprehend and respond to it. Below, CJR has compiled some of the year’s most illuminating, hard-hitting, and enduring coverage of the pandemic.   Looking ahead The Coronavirus in America: The Year Ahead  By Donald G. McNeil, Jr. From the early days of the outbreak, McNeil Jr.’s prescient stories for The New York Times demystified and narrativized a virus that, to this day, continues to evade grasp. In a time of frenetic news cycles, such clear and careful writing served as a much-needed antidote to protracted uncertainty. (McNeil, Jr.’s recent story, about the toll covid-19 may yet take even as vaccinations and an administration change draw near, is another sobering account of what lies ahead of us.)   How the Pandemic Defeated America  By Ed Yong Another marquee reporter on the science beat, Yong, of The Atlantic, wrote prodigiously about the pandemic. Among his anthology of indispensable works, this unsparing account of America’s abject failure to meet the coronavirus when it arrived at its shores stands out. One sentence—comprising 212 words, punctuated by 7 semicolons, and beginning with “No one should be shocked…”—must be the most incisive of the year.    Putting... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-12-15 13:02:41 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group Saw Diversity Gains in Staff, Book Acquisitions in 2020

BIPOC employees represented 47.8% of new hires by the Hachette Book Group in 2020, and the percentage of titles acquired from BIPOC authors and illustrators increased to 29%, from 22%. CEO Michael Pietsch acknowledged that despite the improvement, much more work needs to be done. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Report: Bible Usage Rose in 2020

The American Bible Society finds the turmoil of 2020 prompted more people to open their Bibles, seeking comfort and wisdom, but they didn’t always get the message. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Pandemic Survey Finds NYC Writers, Lit Organizations Face Economic Loss

A new survey examining the impact of the pandemic on New York City’s literary community found that 75% of the city’s literary organizations reported some financial loss over the last year, with some organizations reporting losses as high as $100,000. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Faith and Gift Publishers See Spiritual Journal Sales Rise

From journaling Bibles to prayer journals, publishers have seen a jump in journal sales as people look for ways to cope with pandemic pressures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Cover design round-up: May 2021

Welcome to our highlights from the mailbag of books published in May. We're a little late to the party here, so we'll keep things brief. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-10 19:39:36 UTC ]
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A science fiction anthology imagines our post-pandemic future

The latest installment in MIT’s Twelve Tomorrows series toggles between utopian and dystopian. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder to publish Jodi Picoult's pandemic-inspired novel

Hodder will publish Jodi Picoult’s new novel, Wish You Were Here, inspired by the global pandemic and about how a young woman's life unravels in lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-07 10:03:28 UTC ]
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Jerusalem International Book Forum: Perspectives on the Pandemic

Day 2 of digital discussions at the Jerusalem International Book Forum examine the impact of the coronavirus on international book publishing. The post Jerusalem International Book Forum: Perspectives on the Pandemic appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-05-04 18:43:37 UTC ]
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Cover Reveal: 'Stuntboy, In the Meantime'

We spoke with Jason Reynolds, the current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, about what prompted him to write 'Stuntboy, In the Meantime,' a middle grade novel featuring illustrations by Raúl the Third. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former Washington Post editor Martin Baron is working on a book about Trump, Bezos and the future of journalism

“Collision of Power” will be part memoir and part investigation into what’s ahead for the free press. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-28 16:45:36 UTC ]
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A devastating COVID surge takes a fresh toll on Indian journalism

More than a year into the global pandemic, the coronavirus has exploded across India. The spread has been fueled, in part, by possible new variants and the recent holding of mass public events, including political rallies and religious celebrations; vaccination rates, meanwhile, remain low, even... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-04-27 12:34:53 UTC ]
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The UK’s Publishers Association 2020 Report: ‘In the Face of COVID’

Amid the challenges of the pandemic year 2020, the United Kingdom's overall publishing market rose 2 percent. The post The UK’s Publishers Association 2020 Report: ‘In the Face of COVID’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-26 23:05:27 UTC ]
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UK publishing income up 2% in Covid-hit 2020 despite print decline

Total publishing income hit record levels in 2020, rising 2% to £6.4bn, buoyed by a digital surge that helped offset a 6% decline in print sales, a report by the Publishers Association shows. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-26 10:50:38 UTC ]
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How Inclusive Is That Diverse Book Cover, Though?

As more and more books for middle grade and YA readers showcase ensemble casts, why do they lack visible disability representation? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-04-26 10:31:00 UTC ]
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Ewan Morrison | 'It was the trigger of the pandemic that made me reframe the whole thing'

Ewan Morrison shares how his pandemic prepping tale, How to Survive Everything (Saraband), taps into his past as well as the zeitgeist. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-25 14:10:51 UTC ]
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Against the odds: Scottish publishers on overcoming the challenges of a pandemic

Most Scottish publishers and bookish bodies adapted their offer in 2020 to defy the lockdown restrictions, with many reporting record years—these are their learnings. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-25 10:18:13 UTC ]
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Cover reveal: Wole Soyinka’s Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth.

Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the US cover for Wole Soyinka’s new novel, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth, which will be published on September 28 by Pantheon Books. This will be Soyinka’s first novel to be published in 48 years, and also the first since he won the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-04-23 13:30:34 UTC ]
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Covering systemic violence without showing video of police killings

By now, many (if not most) of us have seen the cellphone video of the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota Police officer Derek Chauvin multiple times. The video—captured by a Black teenager named Darnella Frazier while she was walking to the store with her young cousin—has featured prominently... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-04-22 12:44:36 UTC ]
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Two Pandemic Book Moments (shelftalker)

A pair of book moments that stand out from among the multitude of pandemic bookselling interludes at DDG. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-22 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Mixed Bag for HBG on the Environment in 2020

The pandemic resulted in a steep drop in electricity use and business travel last year, but "significantly" higher demand for print books led to a 2% increase in Hachette Book Group's carbon footprint in 2020. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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