The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post have signed an open letter to the Chinese government asking them to reconsider their decision to remove American journalists. “This move — made in retaliation for recent expulsions by the United States government — is one that we would protest under any circumstances,” they wrote. “But it is uniquely damaging and reckless as the world continues the struggle to control this disease, a struggle that will require the free flow of reliable news and information.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association has enacted strict social distancing measures after a press corps member was suspected of having COVID-19. The number of journalists allowed in the briefing room at one time has now been reduced to fourteen.
The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple explains why Trump’s daily briefings should not be broadcast live.
At Columbia Journalism Review, Craig Aaron looks at the ways a stimulus package could help the journalism industry.
For Literary Hub, Save Yourself author Cameron Esposito recommends five books for a queer staycation “road trip.” Titles include Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, Andrea Lawlor’s Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, and Jacqueline Woodson’s brown girl dreaming.
Slavoj Žižek is writing a new book about coronavirus. “As an unprecedented global pandemic sweeps the planet, who better than the supercharged Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Žižek, to uncover its deeper meanings, marvel at its paradoxes, and speculate on the profundity of its consequences?” the press release asks. PANDEMIC! will be published by OR Books in June.
