The psychological toll of coronavirus coverage

We already had information overload. Then came a global pandemic. Coronavirus is an “everything story,” as Jon Allsop noted in Monday’s CJR newsletter: “unfathomably huge stories—that are all part of one, even more unfathomably huge story”. If the shuttered restaurants and roommates making a mess of your kitchen-table workspace aren’t reminder enough that COVID-19 has changed daily life, the news articles about the shuttered restaurants and myriad Twitter threads about other peoples’ roommates making a mess of their kitchen-table workspaces will intensify your awareness.  That doesn’t even begin to cover stories which attach the pandemic to anything, everything.  The coronavirus and small businesses, the coronavirus and the stock market, the coronavirus and education, the coronavirus and the 2020 election, the coronavirus and how to cut your own bangs. On Tuesday, the Washington Post’s health desk released a round-up of mental health experts’ practical steps to easing anxiety. In the article, psychologist Kathy HoganBruen recommends that anxious readers “really try to limit the news consumption or just staring at your phone and your computer, because for most of us that makes mental health worse rather than better.” How responsible are we for the feelings that our stories inspire? Is it a journalist’s job to make readers afraid? Is it a journalist’s job to keep people calm? Such questions are, in a sense, an accelerated version of the dilemmas inherent in writing about... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-03-19 11:58:16 UTC ]
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Other news stories related to: "The psychological toll of coronavirus coverage"


Scholastic moves to cut costs as it anticipates coronavirus impact

Scholastic Corporation has said it expects business in the fourth quarter to be affected by coronavirus-related school closures and it is taking "agressive actions to reduce operating expenses throughout the Company" as a result, including the temporary closure of warehouse and distribution... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 15:51:43 UTC ]
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Hay Festival appeals for emergency funds after coronavirus cancellation

The Hay Festival has been cancelled owing to the coronavirus outbreak with organisers saying it is now in “immediate financial jeopardy” and has 10 days to raise emergency funds. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 09:16:58 UTC ]
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Scholastic creates Hunger Games prequel campaign for coronavirus-hit indies

Scholastic UK has created a pre-order campaign for Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games prequel that it says could drive trade to indie bookshops during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 08:56:22 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Withdraws From BookExpo and BookCon 2020: Coronavirus Update

Penguin Random House, announces its withdrawal from New York City’s 2020 BookExpo and ReedPop’s associated public weekend, BookCon. The post Penguin Random House Withdraws From BookExpo and BookCon 2020: Coronavirus Update appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-18 19:57:06 UTC ]
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English PEN calls for release of Ahdaf Soueif after coronavirus protest arrest

English PEN has called for the release of Egyptian author Ahdaf Soueif, who was arrested during a protest about the treatment of prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 19:53:50 UTC ]
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Micropublisher 3 of Cups proposes initiative to help out writers with coronavirus-hit incomes

Indie micropublisher and not-for-profit 3 of Cups has announced a new initiative to help writers and artists who might have reduced incomes during the coronavirus outbreak.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 18:37:25 UTC ]
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Coronavirus live updates: Hachette reports increased book orders from China

Hachette UK c.e.o. David Shelley says the firm has seen an increase in book orders from China once again after "several months of very low orders" as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 16:34:39 UTC ]
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Bookshop.org to share 30 percent of each purchase with bookstores impacted by coronavirus shutdowns.

Bookshop.org, an alternative to Amazon that shares proceeds from book sales with independent bookstores, will give more money to those stores in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on small businesses. Bookshop announced today that it would increase bookstore partners’ affiliate... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-18 15:09:12 UTC ]
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Coronavirus: Macmillan and PRH Ease Library Digital Book Availability

Macmillan's John Sargent reverses his controversial stance on library ebooks, and Penguin Random House announces a discounted program amid the outbreak. The post Coronavirus: Macmillan and PRH Ease Library Digital Book Availability appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-17 20:47:59 UTC ]
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Independent bookstores survived the rise of online retail. Coronavirus poses bigger challenges.

Indie bookstores thrive on being part of a community. Now, they’re taking desperate action to stay in business amid “social distancing.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-17 15:49:08 UTC ]
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What China’s Literary Community is Reading During the Coronavirus Pandemic

I had a fight with my mother the other day. In the past we had argued on many things but never politics, because we’d seldom talked about it. The video call, which started with her asking me about the outbreak in the US, ended up opening my eyes to the chasm between me and the […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-17 08:49:21 UTC ]
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Booksellers call for clarity from Johnson as coronavirus hits business

Booksellers have called for clarity from Boris Johnson’s government as measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak hit the high street.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-17 08:20:02 UTC ]
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Publishers move to postpone book launches amidst the coronavirus outbreak

In light of the coronavirus outbreak and the government's new advice regarding social distancing, many of the major publishing houses are gearing up to work from home and close their offices.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-17 05:41:36 UTC ]
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Debut psychological YA thriller pre-empted in Germany and Russia

Naomi Gibson’s debut YA novel has been pre-empted in Germany and Russia, two weeks after being sent out by Chicken House.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-17 04:24:57 UTC ]
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Amazon Deprioritizes Book Sales Amid Coronavirus Crisis

As it works to meet the surge in demand for "household staples, medical supplies, and other high demand products," Amazon has sent a letter to other suppliers, including publishers, telling them their goods will receive a low priority until at least April 5. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie Publishers Adapting to Coronavirus Outbreak

The new coronavirus is causing unprecedented disruption for independent publishers, but despite those challenges more than half a dozen indies said this week that they were managing to make a somewhat smooth transition to remote work while rallying in support of independent booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan to close office in response to coronavirus

Pan Macmillan has announced it is closing its offices from close of play this Thursday (19th March), "until further notice", and has asked everyone at the company to work from home "for the foreseeable future".  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-17 01:55:46 UTC ]
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Independent bookshops start to close as coronavirus advice comes in

Independent bookshops across the country are closing their doors to protect staff and customers from the coronavirus outbreak. Many indie shops are encouranging customers to support their businesses and place orders online. Delivery services have also been ramped up across the board, with some... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-16 22:52:52 UTC ]
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How you can support bookstores during the coronavirus pandemic.

Though most bookstores are closing their doors to the public, you can still buy books from them! And because you believe in our shared responsibility to preserve the wellbeing of those most vulnerable among us, you’re staying home and reading books, right? This past weekend saw many book people... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-16 19:01:49 UTC ]
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Emerald Publishing launches £20,000 fund to make coronavirus research available

Emerald Publishing has launched a £20,000 fund to cover article processing charges, supporting social scientists in making their research on health emergencies such as coronavirus rapidly available.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-16 15:58:43 UTC ]
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