As a Poynter supporter, you’re receiving this newsletter each Friday so we can keep you well informed about the lifesaving work we’re doing to fight against misinformation around the world and help journalists deliver news you trust. Poynter is:

Warning you against the most common coronavirus hoaxes

Did you hear the story that Pope Francis asked believers to put a white handkerchief on their doorsteps to protect them from the plague? We know this is a hoax, thanks to the coordinated work of fact-checkers around the world who are part of the Coronavirus Facts Alliance, led by Poynter’s International Fact Checking Network. It’s also one of the most popular fact-checks circling the globe. Here are the other four. Beware!

Explaining how conditions for reopening, like temperature checks, are more complicated than you think

(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Many businesses, from neighborhood hair salons to Disney World, have discussed using temperature checks to admit patrons. But what if you’re coming in from your hot car? If a business is using a thermal scanner, which measures the temperature of your skin rather than your core temperature, you could be denied service. Poynter’s Al Tompkins breaks down the different types of thermometers businesses are considering, while explaining how this tactic has kinks that need working out as we discuss reopening.

Detailing how the pandemic may affect colleges this fall

Shining a spotlight on journalism and its challenges

Since you’re reading this newsletter, it’s a safe assumption that you rely on fact-based journalism to make important life decisions — and you know it’s made possible by dedicated journalists. You don’t need to be reminded that journalists and the news media have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. But I encourage you to take a few moments to read this story that stopped me in my tracks. It’s about how a journalist went from being an executive newspaper editor to living out of a Motel 6.

If anything, it’s a reminder for all of us on what Poynter president Neil Brown shared last week: how important it is for us to engage with journalism.

Turning lemons into lemonade for first-time voters

Not only is the misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic affecting our personal health, it’s also impacting the health of our democracy. This infodemic is creating uncertainty and anxiety around one of the cornerstones of our republic, the November election. I, too, have a number of questions on how this virus will affect our elections, and I’m a seasoned voter. Can you imagine how first-time voters must feel? 

Luckily, Poynter’s MediaWise Voter Project Campus Correspondents program is doing something about it. Months ago, MediaWise trained 11 college students to go back to each of their campuses and train their peers on how to fact check and be better informed as they vote for the first time in the 2020 election. And then the pandemic hit, closing college campuses across the country. Read how Poynter’s MediaWise team turned lemons into lemonade to make this program a success.

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Be well,


Josh Herrington
Development Director
[email protected]

Poynter Foundation Board Members: 

Brian Tierney, CEO, Brian Communications
Michael Dreyer, President, Tampa Bay Trust Company
Frank “Sandy” Rief III, Attorney, Allen Dell, Attorneys at Law
Liz Sembler, Board Member, Corporation for Public Broadcasting