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

The UTS Centre for Media Transition (CMT) will examine how the pandemic changed journalism in a panel discussion at UTS on Tuesday 22 August. It will take Pandemedia as its launch site; a collection of essays edited by ABC journalists Gavin Fang and Tracey Kirkland that covers the logistical, ethical and existential challenges faced by the industry during this time.

Certain issues already underway deepened during the pandemic, such as the weaponisation of disinformation and growing mistrust of the media. But other problems – including lockdowns – meant journalists had to find enterprising ways of telling stories. And at the same time, when politicians were refining how to dodge transparency, journalists faced criticism for demanding that politicians disclose the reasoning behind their decisions, amongst them extended lockdowns. In other words, audiences no longer expected journalists to ask questions, which is arguably the sum of the job.

Audiences may have swarmed to news media for information during the pandemic. Unfortunately, they tuned out as fast as they had tuned in, exhausted by the relentless tolls and doomsday alarm. Journalists who lived and worked through COVID were exhausted too.

In this panel, we look at how these novel circumstances changed journalism, in some ways, irrevocably.

The CMT invites you to hear from Pandemedia editors and contributors including Casey Briggs and Anita Savage. The event will be moderated by the CMT Co-Director Monica Attard.