Nine months have elapsed since journalists have had no other choice but to exercise their profession from the couch. Press briefings are held online, leaders speak in front of a microphone with no one behind it. Even institutional leaks are now official, channelled on dedicated WhatsApp groups. Travel is restricted, so conflicts or elections happen without the presence of journalists, or with very few journos on site. As a result, those in power have almost complete control of communication, very much like in totalitarian countries. Journalists normally need to meet with politicians and other stakeholders and talk to them informally. It is the essence of our job: journalists need sources – but few sources will share information online or over the phone. In the absence of journalistic judgement based on personal confrontation with the world actors, the media are left to churn out press releases. That’s not a good service to society. These days, conflicts, or even wars, go unnoticed. Not only because there are no journalists to cover them on the ground, but because the entire attention of the public, and of mainstream media, is so strongly focused on the pandemic. Few care if there is a war in … Continue reading The Brief, powered by Facebook – Journalism from the couch