White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

  • Home
  • About
  • WHC Garden Brunch
  • Washington Insider
  • Archives
  • Contact

News Media Alliance and Leading News Organizations Demand Front-Line Journalists Receive Early COVID-19 Vaccinations

December 8, 2020 By Ryan Gallagher

Photo courtesy of the Clarion-Ledger

The News Media Alliance and a number of leading news media organizations, including the Public Broadcasting Service, National Association of Broadcasters, and the National Press Photography Association, sent a letter to the committee in charge of advising the CDC on COVID-19 vaccine distribution to request that front-line journalists be included among the early phases of vaccine deployment, reports Radio Online.

The news organizations were careful to acknowledge that healthcare workers, first responders, and the most at-risk populations should be prioritized for vaccine distribution. However, the letter also urges the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to consider the essential role journalists play in “educating Americans about the importance of vaccination, as well as aiding in the monumental task of informing the public about the logistics of the vaccine’s dispersal around the country.”

The letter pointed out that front-line journalists are regularly at risk of contracting COVID-19 while they are covering the plights of healthcare workers and patients, as well as rallies, protests and public events.

“To continue providing these critical services,” the letter reads, “journalists cannot simply work from home, but must interact with government officials and the public to report on the stories that matter, regardless of the risks they must assume. Despite efforts to protect themselves and the public, members of the media are necessarily exposed to the COVID-19 virus while doing their jobs and serving as ‘first informers’ in local communities across the country.”

The National Press Photography Association filed a similar request, separately, pointing out that visual journalists were particularly vulnerable due to the requirements of their work, reports the Poynter Institute. NPPA’s legal counsel, Mickey Osterreicher, demands “that journalists who have direct contact with the public on a regular basis, and particularly visual journalists, be expressly included in the phase of the COVID-19 vaccine that includes the essential and critical infrastructure workforce.”

Osterreicher argues that, “Visual journalists cannot work from home, and have put their health and lives at risk on a daily basis to cover both the COVID-19 pandemic and other matters of public concern, including matters critical to the health and safety of the public and critical to our democracy. These journalists must work in the conditions they find — regardless of the risk.”

The full list of signatories include the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the News Media Alliance (NMA), the America’s Public Television Stations (APTS), the Asian Americans Journalists Association (AAJA), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the National Newspaper Association (NNA), the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), the News Leaders Association (NLA), NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ).

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on Pinterest

Filed Under: Uncategorized

2022 WHC Garden Brunch

Search WHCInsider

About White House Correspondents Insider

Exploring “behind the scenes” of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

We track the White House Correspondents’ weekend and all the activities around it, from journalists and media companies to the White House and politicos.

Tammy Haddad is Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of WHC Insider and CEO of Haddad Media.

White House Correspondents Insider is not affiliated with or approved by the White House Correspondents’ Association, which is a registered trademark of the WHCA.

Cone of Silence Podcast

WHCA Seating Chart

Connect

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Flickr
  • Apple
  • Google
  • Instagram

Instagram

We're still reminiscing about the 2022 White House Correspondents' #GardenBrunch. Thank you, John McCarthy, Elizabeth Milias, Liz Johnson, and the UK's embassy's Senay Bulbul for joining us in supporting the media and our military veterans!
Thank you, Susan Wojcicki, Alexandra Veitch and Craig Newmark for your support of the 2022 White House Correspondents' #GardenBrunch!
Karine Jean-Pierre will replace outgoing Jen Psaki as #WhiteHouse Press Secretary on May 13, President Biden announces. Seen here at the @paramountco #WHCD #paramountafterparty
Members of the media and the administration came together to shine a light on the work of journalists and our military veterans at the 2022 White House Correspondents’ #GardenBrunch. Thank you, @tonydokoupil @jenrpsaki and @gayleking for your support! #WHCD2022 #WHCD #WHCA
We’re so grateful to the FLEX Association for their support of the 2022 #GardenBrunch. #WHCD2022 #WHCD #WHCA
Thank you to #AngelaDalton and #PeterMauric of the @web3foundation (pictured here with Alexander Vindman and daughter) for your support of the 2022 #GardenBrunch.

Copyright © White House Correspondents Insider

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.