Crafting accurate stories

NASW has created this list of resources on crafting accurate stories during the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic. We will update it regularly. All resources were publicly accessible at the time of listing.

• Covering the coronavirus epidemic effectively without spreading misinformation
  Written by former NASW president and Washington Post health and science editor Laura Helmuth. Source: The Open Notebook and the National Association of Science Writers (En Español)

• Covering science at dangerous speeds
  Written by the president of the Association of Healthcare Journalists and NASW member Ivan Oransky, this piece is a helpful tour of the science reporting beat, with critical tips for those new to science coverage. "What is a newly transferred medical reporter to do? I would hope a veteran statehouse reporter would take me aside to give me a tour of the beat, so I’ll try to do the same here..." Source: Columbia Journalism Review

• 10 tips for journalists covering COVID-19: An international perspective
  Source: IJNet

• Online course and more for reporters covering coronavirus
  Resources include FAQs, a searchable database of debunks, and an online course for covering the virus. Source: FirstDraft

• Journalist's Toolbox: A collection of links to information, reports, and resources on COVID-19
  The Toolbox, edited by Mike Reilley, has resources for many other beats as well. Source: Society of Professional Journalists

• How newsrooms can tone down their coronavirus coverage while still reporting responsibly
  Source: Poynter

• I Lived Through SARS and Reported on Ebola. These Are the Questions We Should Be Asking About Coronavirus.
  Source: ProPublica

• NASW Information Access Standards
  Best practices for journalists and PIOs in seeking access to information from government sources. Source: National Association of Science Writers

• Press freedom and government transparency during COVID-19
  "Addresses frequently asked questions that journalists and others may have about court access, public records and open meetings, and the impact of measures implemented under governments’ emergency powers in response to the coronavirus." Source: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

• Vetting your sources for the right expertise
  Written by NASW member Tara Haelle. Source: Association of Health Care Journalists

• Who was that?
  Information about experts in epidemiology, infectious disease modeling, virology, health disparities, or vaccines who appeared at recent ScienceWriters conferences. Source: Council for the Advancement of Science Writing

• AP stylebook tips on the coronavirus
  Source: Poynter Institute

• Fact-checking in the age of misinformation
  Tips from a session at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017 that included NASW member Brooke Borel. Source: WCSJ2017

• Fighting the Infodemic: The #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance
  "Poynter’s IFCN created a database that gathers all the falsehoods that have been detected by the Alliance. You can sort, filter and search for content. The database will be updated regularly to include new publications by fact-checkers." Weekly report outlining misinformation trends also available. Source: International Fact-Checking Network, part of the Poynter Institute

• Tips for navigating statistical information
  An overview of questions to ask about the reliability of numbers. Source: WCSJ2017

• The challenges of covering infectious disease outbreaks
  What are the challenges journalists face when covering disease outbreaks? Is it the journalist's job to fight rumors and conspiracy theories — and how do you do that anyway? Video of a session from the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017. Source: WCSJ2017. Traducción al Español disponible. Traduction Française disponible. To see the subtitles, view the video on YouTube. Click on the gear icon to select your language. A summary article is also available.

• Coronavirus story ideas
  Subscribe to a daily email that "points to innovative and thoughtful work that we hope will spark useful, reflective and even uplifting reporting on COVID-19." Source: Poynter Institute

Do you have a resource to share? Please email director@nasw.org with a description and link for consideration. All links must be publicly accessible.