On Wednesday, March 11, I received the following message via email through the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association:
“Dear Oregon editors and publishers:
“The Oregonian/OregonLive, The Bulletin, the Statesman Journal and Salem Reporter, among others, are sharing coronavirus coverage in the public interest. Instead of waiting for the Associated Press to move a story, editors can select any staff-written story published on the news organization’s website and republish online or in print.
“This sharing is in recognition that no one organization can cover all angles and some newsrooms have more resources and/or expertise than others.” The letter was signed by Therese Bottomly, Les Zaitz and John Schrag.
The Chronicle has been placing all coronavirus-related reports outside the paywall, available free to subscribers and non-subscribers alike. We will continue to do so going forward.
The message above also encouraged interested newspapers to join in making staff-written stories available to other newspapers statewide, and the Chronicle has done that as well. We are not alone—within hours of the message going out, 16 newspapers had made their content available, as had one blog/podcast. That number is growing rapidly.
Although the competitiveness of the newspaper industry is legendary, and the “media” a popular target, I’m not surprised Oregon’s biggest and best newspapers are leading this statewide effort to keep Oregonians informed: they are first and foremost members of their community—and that community at this time is all of Oregon.
United, we stand.
And that includes standing together under the cloud of coronavirus.
Beyond Well with Sheila Hamilton
As the Coronavirus spreads, so does fear, paranoia, and discrimination. Doctors have a few tools to help:
What can you do if your anxiety and worry is worse than the outbreak?
If you must stay at home, maintain a healthy lifestyle—including proper diet, sleep, exercise and social contacts with loved ones at home and by email and phone with other family and friends.
Get the facts. Gather information that will help you accurately determine your risk so that you can take reasonable precautions. Find a credible source you can trust such as the WHO website or a local or state public health agency.
Limit worry and agitation by lessening the time you and your family spend watching or listening to media coverage that you perceive as upsetting.
Draw on skills you have used in the past that have helped you to manage previous life’s adversities and use those skills to help you manage your emotions during the challenging time of this outbreak.
Here’s where a meditation or mindfulness practice really helps. In this moment, right now, are you and the people you love okay? Could you set aside your worries about the future, and observe your thoughts objectively? Notice how erratic and negative the things are that we tell ourselves? Are you capable of getting through this moment by taking one deep breath, letting it out, and then repeating?
Could you turn off the television and ask someone you trust to inform you if the threat worsens? Could you exercise more? Give your dog some extra attention? Or pick up the phone to speak to those you love?
Hygiene, social distancing, working from home and obsessive vigilance only gets us so far. The other part of surviving anything that is unexpected and unwelcome is the ability to remain lighthearted and optimistic.
If you are someone who has regularly worried about your health or the possibility of infection, the coronavirus is bound to exacerbate your panic. Seek out mental health counseling regularly to help manage your symptoms.
This article was provided by Sheila Hamilton, one of over a dozen media outlets throughout the state sharing their coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak to help inform Oregonians about this evolving health issue.
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