Pandemedia
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Publication Date: 01 May 2023
RRP: $34.99
ISBN: 9781922633811
Format: Paperback
Size: 153mm x 234mm
Pages: 320
Category: Current Affairs

Pandemedia

How COVID Changed Journalism

Edited by Tracey Kirkland and Gavin Fang

Also available as an ebook from your favourite retailer.

‘As divided as the world became, we really were all in it together, and journalists made it our business to communicate the challenges of all sectors of society. Perhaps this book will communicate ours.’ Tracy Grimshaw, television presenter

‘These essential essays chart the COVID inflection point, plumbing and explaining the turbulence that now surrounds our shared space of news and information.’ Hugh Riminton, foreign correspondent

‘The pandemic presented a medical, political, logistical and emotional upheaval all at once, which in some ways fundamentally changed the way journalists do our jobs.’ Amelia Adams, 60 Minutes reporter and former senior US correspondent, Nine Network

‘During COVID-19, the public’s desire for accurate, up-to-date information became insatiable. This book tells the compelling story of how journalists met this need amid a climate of fear and distrust, and an erosion of freedom.’ Sharyn Ghidella, Seven News presenter

If journalism is the first draft of history, what will it say about COVID?

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 weaponising 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 royalties proudly support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation

Tracey Kirkland

Tracey Kirkland is an Australian news journalist who has worked in broadcast and print for more than thirty years. She is currently the Continuous News Editor in charge of TV and video at ABC News Channel, and was previously the... Read More

Gavin Fang

Gavin Fang  is an Australian journalist with more than thirty years’ experience in broadcast and print media. He is currently Editorial Director at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and was previously deputy director of news. Gavin is a former correspondent for... Read More