How to help TV news producers during COVID-19

TV reports still need to fill segment slots, but they’re limited in how they can go out and find stories. Here’s how you can be an important resource.

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Odds are you’re seeing your local TV news reporters in a new light after watching them do a few standups from their kitchen or family rooms.

Across the country, shelter in place orders and social distancing have had a huge impact on how TV newsrooms and reporters operate. You’re working from home—and they’re reporting from home.

TV news reporters still need to keep the public informed—more than ever—and share stories that also comfort and entertain us while we’re confined to our homes too. To learn how a few local TV news reporters are making this work, I reached out to a few for their insights.

Joe Little is a multimedia journalist, news reporter and director of storytelling for NBC 7 San Diego. Little also teaches multimedia journalism through workshops across the country.

“Reporting with social distancing is a challenge,” says Little, “but I’ve been able to overcome those challenges pretty well, while still being creative. I take a lot of pride in that.”

So, how can you help guys like him get their stories told safely and creatively?

1. Pitch stories that work from a safe distance.

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