As life changes dramatically amid coronavirus outbreak, your news never stops
Like many Americans around the country, your McClatchy team covering essential local news here and across the U.S. has seen our daily routines and rhythms derailed by the coronavirus outbreak. Daily life in our communities is slowing — in some cases to a virtual standstill — as we all do what we can to limit the dangerous spread of this pandemic.
At the moment, we are navigating through an unfamiliar world of social distancing, volatile financial markets and shuttered schools, restaurants, businesses, houses of worship and other institutions we rely on to give us the stability that is so important to our sense of well-being.
But even now, we must consider how we can best serve our communities beyond this crisis.
And amid this uncertainty, one thing hasn’t — and will not — change: the need for accurate and reliable local news and information. And at McClatchy, our dedication to fulfilling this need remains as strong as it’s ever been in a company that is more than 160 years old.
Already, our newsrooms across the country have produced more than 2,500 coronavirus-related articles. They have also identified and dispelled countless unfounded rumors that circulate and add unnecessarily to the anxiety so many of us are experiencing. In our audience business, we are working to secure the safety and health of our staff at the same time as we have expanded the digital platform we operate around the country so we can provide you with the news and information you need how and when you want it, nonstop, 24/7. Our advertising team is reaching out to small businesses and large businesses, here and around the country, to provide solutions that can help these important employers, service providers and neighbors reach you so that you can get the services and products you need during this challenging time.
Our 30 newsrooms across the country are uniquely equipped to go deep into the towns and cities they cover with boots-on-the-ground journalists. We’re reporting on the latest developments in our communities relating to an important story. This is what we do. This is what we’ve always done. We are still applying the same rigorous standards of accuracy, timeliness and fairness. Only this time, these standards are more essential than ever before.
For those of you reading this message who don’t subscribe to a McClatchy news product, we have lifted the digital paywall on all COVID-19 stories for the foreseeable future. That means anyone with a digital device and access to the internet can get the most up-to-date, relevant and essential local information about how the health crisis is affecting our community.
We see this as an important part of our public service mission. In times of crisis, news can be as important as the most basic utility, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with vital community organizations and services to do our part.
We are painfully aware that we now live in a world where the wrong fact or a sloppy insight can literally be a matter of life and death. Important decisions relating to you and your family’s health, finances and security are dependent on the steady flow of accurate information. And we will deliver that information in whatever manner we can reach you: on your doorstep, newsstand, social media platform, computer, tablet or smartphone. I want to assure you that at McClatchy we are doing — and will continue — to do our best. Please let us know what more we can do by being in touch with us online, via social media, or by letting us know when you see news.
Life as we know it is changing dramatically for at least the next several weeks. But the news never stops. And neither will we.
Craig Forman is President and Chief Executive Officer of McClatchy.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 12:32 PM with the headline "As life changes dramatically amid coronavirus outbreak, your news never stops."
