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Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward had a bombshell. That storied journalist of Watergate fame knew in February that Donald Trump grasped how deadly the impending pandemic was.
That stands in sharp, macabre contrast to the president’s public claims at the time, which by his own admission, downplayed the threat that covid-19 posed against Americans.
Woodward could have reported this information before the coronavirus began to alter Americans’ lives substantially. But he held onto it, saving it for a book.
This isn’t necessarily a new issue in journalism, but it does seem to be getting worse at the most prestigious newspapers in the country. Last year, an anonymous New York Times reporter told Vanity Fair that the paper had “become a book-deal factory,” as at least two dozen journalists took leave after signing publishing contracts. That left the paper with fewer reporters for day-to-day beat work.
Pouring material into a book, material that otherwise would have made it into the pages of a newspaper, might not present ethical issues if you’re writing about celebrities or political figures who are no longer in power. But all of the books about the Trump administration that have come out over the last few years have posed the same problem: The public has a right to know potentially damning information about those in office – especially the president – as soon as it can be reported. Not months later.
Covid at college
- Universities across the country are coping with clusters of covid-19 cases that have been linked to student parties, including those thrown by fraternities and sororities.
- During the summer, the University of Georgia in Athens trained 28 students on covid-19 contact tracing, but the university didn’t hire them or anyone else to do the work on campus. During the last four weeks, the university has reported about 2,600 new cases.
- By last week, more than 1,400 university students and staff in Kansas had tested positive. About 550 of those cases were connected to the University of Kansas, where most students testing positive were involved in Greek life.
- In Boston, Northeastern University suspended 11 freshmen for the rest of the semester after they met up without wearing masks or following social distancing rules.
- Some schools are beginning to quarantine large numbers of students. In Peoria, Illinois, Bradley University put in place a two-week quarantine for all of its students. About 2,000 students attending University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus are quarantined or in self-isolation.
New on Big If True
On the latest episode of our podcast, we spoke with Salt Lake Tribune reporter Jessica Miller about her investigation into youth treatment centers, where some former residents said they were abused. Jessica told us about the history of the industry in Utah and the lengths she went to while reporting the story – including filing more than 150 records requests.
Also on the show: The politicization of a covid-19 vaccine and how violence in Portland and Kenosha, Wisconsin is playing out online.
Thank you for reading Hard Reset. Send me feedback, questions and tips: bryant@bigiftrue.org and 405-990-0988.
– Mollie Bryant