European Journalism in Times of Pandemic

By Margarida Teixeira

The world is experiencing an unprecedented crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic, with Europe at its epicenter, is having an impact on every aspect of the daily lives of Europeans: from coping with social isolation and travel restrictions to adapting to remote working conditions, there is likely not a single person in Europe who has not been personally impacted by COVID-19.

As of March 20, the virus has claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people, most from China and Italy. Many European countries, from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Europe and the Balkans, are enforcing state of emergency. As the number of infected persons rises, experts predict the spread of the virus might only decelerate by May. Universities, schools, companies, factories and football leagues are ceasing operations across Europe and many fear a violent economic recession will ensue.

The 21st century undergoes its most critical moment so far: in a highly globalized and interconnected world, misinformation spreads like wildfire across social media. Today more than ever, reliable journalistic sources are crucial to understanding what exactly is going on. On the other hand, COVID-19 is also deeply impacting the work of journalists, and there is still uncertainty regarding the real extent of this disruption. 

A freelance journalist in Portugal who mostly covers events on the ground for a national daily newspaper said she is unable to perform her work. 

“The outings are increasingly limited, not because I am forced to stay home, but because the city is working half-heartedly, so I cannot even explore potential reporting topics if there are no people,” she said.

She predicts the COVID-19 pandemic will also hit newspapers financially. Sales will most likely be affected not only due to people being unable to buy newspapers, but also because most media outlets are unable to cover other topics and diversify content. 

“A newspaper cannot live only on these [COVID-19] contents,” she said.

She is also aware of how freelancing can expose journalists to the virus and the delicate position they are in. 

“If I am infected at work, I do not have health insurance. If I have to stop working, I do not get paid. So, I will continue working and try to take as many precautions as possible”. 

As for Katy Fallon, a journalist in Greece who mostly covers issues related to health and refugees, the risk of infecting vulnerable populations living without basic sanitation has caused her to shift to communicating through WhatsApp instead of face-to-face. Avoiding in-person communication has its consequences, but for now staying in isolation and keeping sources safe are her priorities.

“I am in a low-risk group, in my twenties, but there is a real possibility I could give it to someone,” Fallon said. “We have a duty as journalists to report, but we also have a duty of care to those we are reporting on.” 

The expected economic and financial impact of COVID-19 is also a concern, particularly for freelance journalists and those with precarious contracts. 

“This is going to impact a lot of our work; freelancing is always more tenuous,” Fallon said. “Every downturn of the economy affects us first.” 

As the following months of work remain unpredictable, Fallon hopes media outlets employing freelancers on casual contracts are able to pay on time.

Both journalists, like many others in Europe, are unsure about how the general public can support media structures at this time. Fallon, still uncertain of how to aid freelance journalists, urged for the provision of “support structures where we can all still do the best job we can reporting in this really uncertain climate.”

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the importance of reliable and rigorous information. Many organizations are supporting journalists covering COVID-19, such as the Global Investigative Journalism Network, mainly by offering resources and guidelines, though journalists covering other topics may have limited options.

Cartoonist Interview: Emanuele del Rosso

Italian cartoonist Emanuele del Rosso spoke to the European Press Prize about his journey as a cartoonist, press freedom and the ups and downs of making a career in the digital age. Del Rosso is also a member of the European Cartoon Award’s preparatory committee, which will award its winner on May 28.

How did you become a cartoonist?

It was a natural transition from journalism into illustration. It just happened when I was doing my internship with RW Media, an NGO. I had problems with English, and because my English wasn’t good enough back then, it was a good way to do some journalism and tell a story without having to actually write it. So I started translating the International Criminal Court trial set into long stories with illustrations, which was really liked. This was in 2015.

During my masters, there was a course from a journalist who was collaborating with RW Media and had this international justice website. She asked us to match an article with an illustration, so when she saw that I could do something decent, she told me, “hold it dear, because this is something that can be useful for you in the future.” And then it was super fun.

Why are political cartoons important?

For me, the goal of cartoons is social change. You should inspire people to think about something and give them an angle they can explore. Or spark curiosity and push them to actually say, “oh, I didn’t know about this, maybe I’ll read something about it.”

In the last few years there has been a debate over cartoons being deemed offensive and editors becoming much more careful in what they publish. Where do you stand?

I think it tells something about cartoons and this cross-cultural character they have. It says something about the power of satire, in general. I have had contact with this Palestinian-Norwegian guy who was put in jail because of his cartoons. Of course it just gives a whole different perspective like, hey, I am doing some satire and in the Western world it’s implied that you can do whatever you want and say what you think; you just imply that people shouldn’t get offended because that’s ‘democracy.’ After the Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015 there was a lot of talk about political cartoons and a lot of space to do that. In the end, Charlie Hebdo was pushing it, but I think they have the right to do so. 

As an European Cartoon Award preparatory committee member, why do you think it is important to award cartoonists?

Cartoonists are journalists, and they need recognition as professionals. What happens – less in the Netherlands and much more in Italy – is that they use my colleagues’ cartoons on TV prime time in news items without asking them. This is really detrimental to the profession. The moment you don’t get paid for something, you are not a professional. You are just a person who does illustrations. Having a separate contest inside the umbrella of the Press Prize is important because we need to really give recognition to the cartoonists, and hopefully then it can be something that brings secure employment to them.

In Italy in the 1980s cartoonists were published in newspapers, but the minute the Internet came – especially Twitter – people started to share a cartoon and treat it as a news item, instead of actually asking for the cartoon. Illustrations started hundreds, even thousands of years ago, and we need to preserve them. It is amazing that you can have open source and the web, but it makes it difficult to actually have a profession.