Your weekly, bite-sized dose of tools, tips and ideas for digital journalism. Kindly supported by the American Press Institute and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Hi, all.

You haven’t heard from me in about a month, when I wrote about some tools and technology that journalists are using to cover the story of the coronavirus. I’m terribly sorry about that.

Just as the U.S. started shutting down and we heard the term “social distancing” for the first time, I stepped into the role of interim managing editor here at Poynter (our past editor, Barbara Allen, moved into a new role as our director of college programming). I’ve been leading our editorial coverage of the coronavirus + media beat, which I hope you’ve had a chance to read. 

My plan is to continue Try This! in some form as soon as I’m able. Like most things right now, I can’t provide a timeframe for when that may be. I hope you’ll stick with us as we sort that out. 

In the meantime, if you haven’t been able to check out our coverage of the coronavirus and the media industry, here are a few stories of note.

How a blockbuster Washington Post story made ‘social distancing’ easy to understand
You probably saw the “flattening the curve” graphic that The Washington Post published last month. This is the story behind that graphic (complete with a late-night coding session). 

Here are the newsroom layoffs, furloughs and closures caused by the coronavirus
The news industry wasn’t in great shape even before the pandemic thrashed the economy. This roundup of media cuts isn’t easy to read, but it’s important. 

Looking for the helpers? Look at local news.
It seems like a disproportionate number of those cuts are coming from local newsrooms, which are providing vital coverage of their communities throughout this pandemic. My colleague, Kristen Hare, has been documenting some of that tremendous local journalism. Start with the roundup linked above, but I’d encourage you to read it all. 

How journalists can fight stress from covering the coronavirus 
I’ve heard many journalists — including those who covered the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — call this pandemic the story of our lifetimes. If you’re out there reporting, or even just consuming a lot of news, make sure you’re taking care of yourself. 

The coronavirus is the story of our lifetime. Here are resources, training and funding to help your newsroom tell it
If you’re a journalist, you don’t have to go it alone. There’s a good deal of help available out there, through training, grants and other resources. 

AP Stylebook tips on the coronavirus
I have this bookmarked and use it almost every day.

The Coronavirus Facts Alliance
An international group of fact-checkers from 70 countries are working together to fact-check claims about the coronavirus. Already, they’ve checked more than 3,000 claims in more than 40 languages. Our International Fact-Checking Network put together a massive database to host them all.

Covering COVID-19
Lastly, we conceived of, designed and launched a newsletter about the coronavirus in just one day early last month. Covering COVID-19, from my colleague Al Tompkins, is a daily roundup of fresh story ideas and background information to help newsrooms cover the coronavirus. 

I hope to be back soon. Until then, I am accepting story ideas and freelance pitches. Just respond to this note or reach out to [email protected].

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay inside. 

Together we will see it through.
Ren LaForme