How SPJ Oregon Territory is supporting local journalists during COVID-19

To our members and supporters,

Whether you’re working long days to cover this pandemic and its effects, have seen your livelihood affected, or both, we want you to know SPJ Oregon Territory is here to help.

As we continue to figure out how to best support Oregon and southwest Washington journalists during this very weird time, we wanted to let you know of some resources available to you. You can help us help you by taking this brief survey to let us know about any issues or challenges you’re facing right now.

First, we are continuing to advocate for government transparency and access to information as this outbreak unfolds. 

We joined other journalists in pushing Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority to provide more detailed information on COVID-19 cases, including more specific age breakdowns and information on hospital bed and ventilator availability, and will continue to do so as we see needs arise. We’ve also offered input on possible changes to open meetings laws as most public bodies have moved to live-streamed or online meetings, and advised local reporters on obtaining information about county responses to the pandemic. Though Oregon’s current orders don’t explicitly define essential businesses and workers, we’ve lobbied state and local governments to include journalists within that definition should they pursue policies limiting movement outside the home.

If you’re having difficulties accessing public records, information, executive sessions or other transparency problems, we want to know about it. We can offer advice and share what we’re hearing from around Oregon, and your stories help us push for reform. Reach out to spjoregon@gmail.com and let us know what you’re seeing.

Second, we’ve been fielding requests from our layoff grant fund, created early this year, to aid journalists who have been laid off or seen an income reduction. We’ve so far distributed $1,300 through this program and will fundraise to support it if demand exceeds what we’re able to pay out of our annual budget.

If you’ve lost your job, had your hours cut or are a freelancer seeing reduced income, we’ll give you $100 to help pay a bill or cover groceries — no strings attached. Our board has made an effort to reach out to editors in newsrooms with mass layoffs to alert affected staff, but we know we’re missing people. If $100 would make your life a bit easier, send us an email of 2-3 sentences telling us how your job or income has been affected (whether because of COVID-19 or not) and how $100 would help.

If you need additional financial support, other resources include:

-Journalist Furlough Fund, organized by Paige Cornwell at the Seattle Times, and available to any journalist laid off or seeing hours reduced. Donate here to support the fund and apply here if you need help.

-Microloans for Journalists, organized by a group of ProPublica reporters and Sisi Wei of Open News. Applicants will receive an interest-free loan of $500, to be paid back in one year, from a fellow journalist or group of journalists who have pledged money. Applications for those seeking help open Friday, April 10.

Finally, we want to share resources for newsrooms and editors considering how best to cover this pandemic while keeping staff safe. 

Journalists should not be asked to risk their lives or health to provide essential coverage. We urged all newsrooms in Oregon to move to work-from-home policies several weeks ago as other businesses took this step - both for the safety of staff and the credibility of our own reporting.

The Ethical Journalism Network has outlined best practices for keeping journalists safe while covering this story.

SPJ’s Ethics Chair, Lynn Walsh, also offered these thoughts in a recent Q&A:

News outlets should follow all regulations in place in their areas. Right now, in San Diego, they say everyone should be wearing masks. That means journalists too. I think interviews should be done remotely, via Skype, Zoom, Facebook, etc. whenever possible. If that is not possible, social distancing should be practiced, mics should not be shared or at least wiped down each time. The same goes for vehicles. Sometimes you have to go outside, especially for video/images. In those cases, provide masks, gloves and a safe place to work that allows for protection. Most importantly, if anyone is uncomfortable there should be a discussion, and no one should be reprimanded for raising a concern. Of course, protocols may change by the time you read this. Stay informed on the latest recommendations/requirements.

Thank you for the work you’re doing during this challenging time.