A week or so ago, while driving with my daughter, I started mentally writing my own obituary. My ears were clogged. My throat was starting to hurt. And, you know, there’s a rapidly spreading pandemic. 

Also, I live in Florida.

“Maybe you need to be passionate about something other than writing obituaries,” my sister told me on the drive home from the doctor, where I had my ears cleaned out in a very unpleasant process and was, happily, not sick. 

I explained to her that just being a journalist — always aware of the numbers and stories and seeing growing disbelief in both — wasn’t helping either. But telling stories about lives lost, especially now, still feels important.

As part of my fellowship for the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, I wrote about what I learned from working on local obits with the Tampa Bay Times and what we are applying to our experiment mid-pandemic.

I’ve written four obits so far. We’re really just getting started. But like the Times, which Poynter owns, so many local newsrooms are telling stories about lives lost to this pandemic. 

This week, I wanted to share some of them. This list is not complete. If you see a newsroom that should be included, please let me know. 

Los Angeles Times: The pandemic’s toll

Vermont Digger: Remembering Vermonters lost to the coronavirus

Orlando Sentinel: Florida coronavirus obituaries

The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune: Notable people who have died from COVID-19

Center for Cooperative Media, New Jersey: Loved and lost

San Francisco Chronicle: Remembering the victims

Detroit Free Press: Obituaries

The Seattle Times: Lives remembered

The Colorado Sun: Remembering Coloradoans lost to coronavirus

The Arizona Republic: The Arizonans we’ve lost to COVID-19: Remembering friends, family and futures

Hearst Connecticut: Remembering Connecticut residents who died after coronavirus

The Boston Globe: Elegies for those lost to coronavirus

The City: Remembering the New Yorkers we’ve lost to COVID-19

Houston Chronicle: Remembering lives lost

Pictured at the top: Screenshots from The Seattle Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe.

While you’re here:

• I spoke with CJR’s Lauren Harris about documenting layoffs to our industry and why we have to work together to capture a full picture of what’s happening now.

• Speaking of collaborations, the Center for Cooperative Media has a new report on tracking the impact of collaborative projects and another report on the collaborations forming around climate change.

• My colleague, Rick Edmonds, wrote a hedge fund primer.

• How is your newsroom covering the return (?) to schools? This list from the Press-Enterprise is so useful for parents and replicable for newsrooms.

• And finally, read about the “pink slime” local news outlets that are popping up.

That’s it for me!

Stay safe and well, and I will do the same,

Kristen