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Utilizing social media to report on COVID-19

I felt a little hindered at first, knowing that because of the coronavirus I couldn’t visit the television station and whip up a story like I normally would. But, being a multi-media journalist means being flexible. So, I and some fellow Troy University student journalists are reporting the news the best we can while also practicing social distancing; via social media. 

Because I can’t necessarily create a TV news package, because I really don’t have much to film in my home, I’ve had to rely more on a print format. I’ve reached out to the university and will soon reach out to students through my phone to get information from sources. 

I’m currently working on a story for Troy University’s student newspaper, The Tropolitan, about on campus dining closures. Many restaurants have closed down shop to prevent the spread of the virus.  All dining options in the Trojan Center are unavailable, and a few other eateries have new, temporary hours. Troy’s dining hall is now offering to-go orders for students, so they can eat meals in their dorm rooms. I was able to get this information without even having to leave my home and will include it in my article and on my Twitter. 

Speaking of Twitter, I’ve used the platform to share quick news updates to my followers. From retweeting the latest stats on confirmed COVID-19 cases across the state of Alabama, to writing my own content; Twitter has been a helpful tool to share quick spirts of information.  

As updates come in, I’m cycling them out to my following. A really big story I shared was the Dothan Eagle’s article on a confirmed case in Dothan; meaning that Troy residents are now surrounded, as cases are in Dothan and Montgomery now. 

Yesterday, I tweeted about how a local restaurant was taping off tables to prevent guests from sitting too close to other people dining in; a simple precaution that I thought my followers would find interesting.  

Today, I made a quick trip to the grocery store and noticed a near empty shelf which once held toilet paper. I snapped a photo and tweeted it out with #coronavirus; allowing my followers to know that only a few more rolls of toilet paper were available for purchase. 

A big take away from all of this is that news can be shared a variety of ways, and it’s our job as journalists to do it.

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