buzzfeednews--2020-03-11--What Is Social Distancing? How Staying Away From Others Can Help Stop The Coronavirus Spread.

A 2009 flu outbreak in Mexico , and a 1918 parade in Philadelphia , may hold some answers for how to stop the spread of COVID-19 .
The World Health Organization on Wednesday officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic , meaning the deadly virus is spreading outside containment measures in multiple countries around the world .
`` Pandemic is not a word to be used lightly , '' WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters .
`` All countries can still change the course of this pandemic , ” he added .
One of the biggest measures public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to change that course and halt the spread of the virus is called social distancing — a somewhat opaque term that is suddenly popping up everywhere in news stories .
So , what does social distancing mean , exactly ?
Put simply , social distancing involves staying away from other people in order to avoid catching or spreading a virus .
It ’ s a fancy term for avoiding crowds .
That could mean working from home rather than catching a train to the office , avoiding concerts or weddings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been training for .
“ Social distancing involves minimizing exposure to infected individuals by avoiding large public gathering venues , adhering to spacing requirements in the workplace , and following proper personal hygiene practices , ” advises the University of Chicago ’ s Emergency Management Program .
“ For an individual , it refers to maintaining enough distance between yourself and another person to reduce the risk of breathing in droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes , ” according to Harvard Medical School .
“ In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limiting or cancelling large gatherings of people.
” This is the reason why so many concerts , festivals , and international events are suddenly being canceled or postponed , and why schools are being shut down .
Even a conference on coronavirus itself has been scrapped .
There ’ s a lot we still don ’ t know about the coronavirus outbreak .
Our newsletter Outbreak Today will do its best to put everything we do know in one place — you can sign up here .
Do you have questions you want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touch .
And if you 're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand , we ’ d also love to hear from you ( you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels ) .
Remember , this isn ’ t just about stopping you from catching the coronavirus .
You may feel completely normal and be asymptomatic , but actually be carrying the COVID-19 virus and spreading it without realizing .
As author Max Brooks , who thought a lot about plagues when writing the zombie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a column in the New York Times , “ The best way to prevent ‘ community spread ’ is to spread out the community .
That means keeping people apart.
” How effective has social distancing been in the past ?
According to a 2011 study of the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico in 2009 , that country ’ s decision to close schools for 18 days potentially saved thousands of lives .
Unlike this current coronavirus , the H1N1 flu strain hit very young people the hardest .
“ In that study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reduction in the transmission rate associated with the school closure , ” the research team leader , Gerardo Chowell with Georgia State University ’ s School of Public Health , told BuzzFeed News .
“ Schools were closed .
Social gatherings were canceled .
Even restaurants were closed .
Movie theaters were closed.
” “ We believe that gave some time to the Mexican government , to the world also , to prepare for what was coming .
The vaccine started to be developed .
Everyone started to work on it very quickly.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay at home but people tended to stay at home , ” he added .
“ For two weeks , they tended to do very little social activity to this pandemic flu because it was not clear what was the severity associated with it.
” As for the current coronavirus outbreak , Chowell called on the CDC and other health officials to release detailed epidemiological data for more scientists to analyze so experts can get a better sense of the virus ’ s reproduction number , or R0 , the number of further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
“ We can then make decisions that are actually informed with science on whether we should be closing all the schools , canceling all the cultural activities and events or not , ” he said .
Seattle ’ s decision Wednesday to shut public schools for two weeks did not come too late , according to Chowell .
Given the large cluster of cases in Seattle , it also doesn ’ t mean other US cities must immediately follow suit .
“ The situation in Seattle is very different to what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
What could happen if we don ’ t enact social distancing ?
One big example often used for the power of social distancing is from the 1918 flu pandemic , where officials in two cities — Philadelphia and St. Louis — handled the crisis in two starkly different ways .
Philadelphia went ahead with a planned World War I parade on Sept. 28 that year , with 200,000 people cramming city streets .
Officials didn ’ t want locals to panic by canceling the parade , noting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ army camps at the time .
But the impact of that many people crowded together passing around a deadly virus was swift .
Within three days , every hospital bed in the city ’ s 31 hospitals was occupied with a flu patient , according to Smithsonian Magazine .
Officials tried to implement social distancing in Philadelphia a week later on Oct. 3 , but by then it was too late to stop the spread .
By Oct. 12 , 4,500 people in the city had died .
In contrast , St. Louis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing schools , churches , and theaters .
Large stores could only be open at certain hours .
The mayor banned public gatherings of more than 20 people .
St Louis ended up with one of the lowest infection rates of any US city , with only 1,703 deaths over the course of the pandemic .
Philadelphia suffered the worst , with over 16,000 people dead in six months .
“ We found that aggressive early intervention was significantly associated with a lower peak of excess mortality , ” wrote researchers in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compare how the two cities used social distancing during the flu epidemic .
So can I go outside ?
Can I see other people ?
In short , yes — to an extent .
Social distancing doesn ’ t mean you need to shelter in a bunker for two weeks , but you do need to be smart about the number of people you ’ re interacting with .
Read : 10 Tips for Preparing to Stay at Home Due to the Coronavirus “ Yes , you can go to the park and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ As far as I understand , there are no cases of transmission because you were just walking past another infected individual.
” But , he added , “ I would be hesitant with letting my daughter play with other kids and mingle too much with other kids in the playground.
” The key , Chowell explained , is interaction with others .
“ Most of the infections have actually occurred during social activity , so it requires some relatively intimate connection with individuals , ” he said .
“ A conversation that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example .
Maybe you are sharing the same restroom.
” “ It requires a substantial amount of time in an enclosed space to actually infect someone else , ” Chowell said .
It ’ s for this reason that many churches have altered services and many companies have sent people to work from home — and why Chowell himself said he , too , has a new rule .
“ I have reviewed the number of meetings that I have , particularly meetings that involve more than two people , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those meetings online .
”

According to a 2011 study of the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico in 2009, that country’s decision to close schools for 18 days potentially saved thousands of lives. Unlike this current coronavirus, the H1N1 flu strain hit very young people the hardest.
“In that study, we found around a 35% reduction in the transmission rate associated with the school closure,” the research team leader, Gerardo Chowell with Georgia State University’s School of Public Health, told BuzzFeed News. “Schools were closed. Social gatherings were canceled. Even restaurants were closed. Movie theaters were closed.”
“We believe that gave some time to the Mexican government, to the world also, to prepare for what was coming. The vaccine started to be developed. Everyone started to work on it very quickly.”
“They were not ordered to stay at home but people tended to stay at home,” he added. “For two weeks, they tended to do very little social activity to this pandemic flu because it was not clear what was the severity associated with it.”
As for the current coronavirus outbreak, Chowell called on the CDC and other health officials to release detailed epidemiological data for more scientists to analyze so experts can get a better sense of the virus’s reproduction number, or R0, the number of further cases expected to be infected by one case.
“We can then make decisions that are actually informed with science on whether we should be closing all the schools, canceling all the cultural activities and events or not,” he said.
Seattle’s decision Wednesday to shut public schools for two weeks did not come too late, according to Chowell. Given the large cluster of cases in Seattle, it also doesn’t mean other US cities must immediately follow suit. “The situation in Seattle is very different to what many other cities are experiencing right now,” he said.
What could happen if we don’t enact social distancing?


buzzfeednews--2020-03-11--Yes, You Actually Can Do Something About The Coronavirus

No individual can stop the coronavirus from spreading .
But we can make crucial changes — big and small — to protect and help the people around us .
At this point , there ’ s still some hope of “ containing ” the virus , as both South Korea and China have through extensive testing and quarantine orders .
As individuals , we can ’ t control whether or not that happens .
But we can collectively work to mitigate the speed and scope of that spread — to “ flatten the epidemic curve ” so that not everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the medical system , making it difficult or impossible for people with COVID-19 or unrelated illnesses and emergencies ( heart attacks , pregnancy complications , allergic reactions , etc . )
to receive care .
As Zeynep Tufekci put it in a recent piece for Scientific American : We should prepare , not because we may feel personally at risk , but so that we can help lessen the risk for everyone .
We should prepare not because we are facing a doomsday scenario out of our control , but because we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face as a society [ ... . ]
you should prepare because your neighbors need you to prepare — especially your elderly neighbors , your neighbors who work at hospitals , your neighbors with chronic illnesses , and your neighbors who may not have the means or the time to prepare because of lack of resources or time .
The problem is that most of us , at least based on the conversations I ’ ve had and observed in the past few days , are still conceiving of “ preparedness ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goods necessary to live in isolation for a few weeks — toilet paper , pasta , hand sanitizer ( if you can find any ) .
That ’ s certainly the main way I ’ ve been thinking about preparing , in part because it ’ s the most straightforward — and , as Americans , we ’ ve been trained that the best way to make ourselves feel better about vague fear is to buy things .
But that mindset is the opposite of what Tufekci is trying to ultimately cultivate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , again , that so long as I am fine , then everything is fine .
This mindset is , quite simply , contagion fuel .
And it ’ s hardest to combat in moments like this one , when the most important actions are preventative ones .
Buying toilet paper — but not so much that no one else can get any — sure .
Obsessively and thoroughly washing your hands , of course .
But we also have to start thinking about how our habits , our compulsions , and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usual — because there ’ s ( seemingly ) nothing wrong with us — will have ripple effects that will almost certainly lead to other people ’ s deaths or significant illnesses .
Does that mean canceling daily life ?
In most places in the United States , not yet — although there ’ s a very strong argument for canceling any public gatherings .
Right now , every single action has to be weighed against its larger ramifications , and some decisions that might help prevent the spread of the coronavirus have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high to offset .
In New York City , for example , so many children rely on food provided by their schools that canceling school , at least right now , would create a massive hunger problem .
But big , top-down changes like that are only part of the picture .
As Caitlin Rivers , an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , put it , “ Community interventions like event closures have an important role in limiting Covid transmission , but individual behavior changes are even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ socially and economically costly .
Individual actions are powerful and permanent.
” And so — and I say this as much to myself as to all of you — we can change our behavior to lessen the risk we pose to other people .
Limit your travel ; work from home if you can .
Making sure you don ’ t pass the virus on to someone who might be more severely impacted by it is the most important way you can help .
But we can also channel some of our anxious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internet and toward thinking about who in our lives and in our communities will certainly need help or assistance .
Who can you talk to now to make a plan to help them later ?
( With supplies , with groceries , with caring for their pets or children or parents . )
Can you start a group text now with your neighbors to keep up on one another ’ s health and needs ?
If you ’ re able , can you donate to your local food bank , which will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or donate additional supplies to the homeless shelter ?
Can you buy things from local businesses , restaurants , and artists now ( or buy a gift card ! )
so that things might be less lean for them in the months to come ?
If you ’ re someone who ’ s at high risk , how can you be honest with yourself and others about it ?
If you ’ re able to work from home and still pull your normal salary , can you commit to still paying someone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housecleaner , a hairdresser , a babysitter , a yoga teacher , a manicurist ) even if they have to stay home ?
If you know someone who might lose their job or see their hours cut back , can you ask them how to help ?
Can you understand how making the next few months better for as many people as possible will also , by extension , make it better for you ?
Earlier today , I was talking with a friend who lives in the Mountain West , in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States .
She spent yesterday in a meeting with other county officials about their plan for when the coronavirus reaches their community .
Some of it was straightforward public health education — telling farmers that “ quarantine ” doesn ’ t mean they “ can ’ t go feed the cows ” — but a lot of it had to do with preventative planning ( what to do if someone gets sick at the county courthouse , which is physically connected to the county ’ s nursing home and the health center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ~1,200 members of the community have been through a significant natural disaster before , and they know how to take care of one another .
They know who would need regular check-ins , who would need to have prescriptions picked up for them hundreds of miles away , who would need support if their income was cut off by quarantine .
Their community is small enough that every death , every tragedy , and every joy reverberates through it .
And they are planning now — even though the virus has yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with each of those people in mind .
“ We think that anything we can do to prepare to protect our vulnerable residents is worth it , ” my friend told me .
“ Because we could absolutely never forgive ourselves if we didn ’ t take the time to plan.
” Many of us are still thinking of the “ seriousness ” of the coronavirus uniquely within the context of our small circles of friends and family members .
And if no one is sick , right now , within that group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an all-clear .
Lots of us live in big , impersonal cities ; most of us certainly don ’ t have communities as tightly knit as my friend ’ s , as varied in terms of age and or as vulnerable in terms of health .
But what if we all behaved as if we did ?
●

But big, top-down changes like that are only part of the picture. As Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, put it, “Community interventions like event closures have an important role in limiting Covid transmission, but individual behavior changes are even more important. Community interventions are temporary and socially and economically costly. Individual actions are powerful and permanent.”
And so — and I say this as much to myself as to all of you — we can change our behavior to lessen the risk we pose to other people. Limit your travel; work from home if you can. Making sure you don’t pass the virus on to someone who might be more severely impacted by it is the most important way you can help. But we can also channel some of our anxious energy away from reading articles on the internet and toward thinking about who in our lives and in our communities will certainly need help or assistance.
Who can you talk to now to make a plan to help them later? (With supplies, with groceries, with caring for their pets or children or parents.) Can you start a group text now with your neighbors to keep up on one another’s health and needs? If you’re able, can you donate to your local food bank, which will be supplying families whose income is curtailed, or donate additional supplies to the homeless shelter? Can you buy things from local businesses, restaurants, and artists now (or buy a gift card!) so that things might be less lean for them in the months to come?
If you’re someone who’s at high risk, how can you be honest with yourself and others about it? If you’re able to work from home and still pull your normal salary, can you commit to still paying someone who provides you with a service (a housecleaner, a hairdresser, a babysitter, a yoga teacher, a manicurist) even if they have to stay home? If you know someone who might lose their job or see their hours cut back, can you ask them how to help?
Can you understand how making the next few months better for as many people as possible will also, by extension, make it better for you?
Earlier today, I was talking with a friend who lives in the Mountain West, in one of the most rural places in the United States. She spent yesterday in a meeting with other county officials about their plan for when the coronavirus reaches their community. Some of it was straightforward public health education — telling farmers that “quarantine” doesn’t mean they “can’t go feed the cows” — but a lot of it had to do with preventative planning (what to do if someone gets sick at the county courthouse, which is physically connected to the county’s nursing home and the health center’s emergency room).
But the ~1,200 members of the community have been through a significant natural disaster before, and they know how to take care of one another. They know who would need regular check-ins, who would need to have prescriptions picked up for them hundreds of miles away, who would need support if their income was cut off by quarantine. Their community is small enough that every death, every tragedy, and every joy reverberates through it. And they are planning now — even though the virus has yet to hit anywhere in their state — with each of those people in mind.
“We think that anything we can do to prepare to protect our vulnerable residents is worth it,” my friend told me. “Because we could absolutely never forgive ourselves if we didn’t take the time to plan.”
Many of us are still thinking of the “seriousness” of the coronavirus uniquely within the context of our small circles of friends and family members. And if no one is sick, right now, within that group, we’re interpreting it as an all-clear. Lots of us live in big, impersonal cities; most of us certainly don’t have communities as tightly knit as my friend’s, as varied in terms of age and or as vulnerable in terms of health. But what if we all behaved as if we did? ●


buzzfeednews--2020-03-11--Major Travel Influencers Say They're Losing Income And Are Being Forced To Stay In One Place Due To

Major Travel Influencers Say They're Losing Income And Are Being Forced To Stay In One Place Due To Coronavirus Precautions

`` Things are looking a bit bleak at the moment and there are definitely moments of uncertainty . ''
Popular travel influencers say the fears and spread of COVID-19 around the world has impacted their daily lives and bottom lines .
One person reported that her income last month was cut in half .
BuzzFeed News heard from a handful of influencers with followings that range from a few hundred thousand to millions , who say everything has been indefinitely put on hold .
Some are unsure what being forced to limit their travel , photo shoots , and brand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It 's impacting my income massively , '' said Callum Snape , a Vancouver-based travel photographer whose Instagram account has over 818,000 followers .
`` I have n't seen any new inquiries in the past six weeks since the outbreak became more widespread . ''
Snape , like many others , said several of his large-scale projects and contracts with other businesses are either postponed or canceled entirely .
Not much new is coming in at the moment , either .
`` The virus has shifted the industry tremendously , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 608,000 followers .
`` Six of my substantial projects have been canceled already , with a few in question at the moment . ''
A woman named Melissa Hie , who documents food around the world on her blog GirlEatWorld , told BuzzFeed News she made half of what she usually makes in the last month due to limiting her own travel and seeing a decline in paid partnership offers .
`` [ Things have ] definitely changed in that I am not traveling at all at the moment and not actively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looks better , '' said Hie .
She 's based in Singapore , where she said the government has taken strict measures to try to contain the spread of COVID-19 .
`` Things are looking a bit bleak at the moment and there are definitely moments of uncertainty , '' she added .
Selena Taylor of the blog and Instagram account @ finduslost said March is typically one of the busiest months for travel , and she 's `` definitely noticed a dip in people booking hotels and Airbnbs . ''
Taylor makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sales and bookings with affiliate links on her website .
Money is not the only adjustment travel influencers have had to make over the past few weeks — although it might be the most impactful .
For many of them , globetrotting is their passion .
Now , they 're either dealing with being forced to stay put or trying to keep up with their usual travels amid rising concerns and advisories for travel .
Eric Stoen , who travels the world with his wife and three children for his Instagram @ travelbabbo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Berlin , Florence , Catania , and Istanbul last week .
But one by one , travel plans were either canceled by airlines or by people he had planned to meet at the destinations .
`` If it had been only one hiccup , I would have gone ahead with the trip , but with literally every element imploding I canceled my flights and hotels , '' he said .
`` [ I ] was very disappointed . ''
Stoen is , however , trying to maintain the normalcy of his packed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I still have European plans in May and June with my family and have no plans to cancel ...
I was in Morocco and Spain with my family two weeks ago and I ’ m working on editing photos and then a blog post from that trip . ''
He said he 's also trying to take advantage of the low airfares right now and has been `` busy booking and rebooking travel '' that was previously canceled .
Some are taking more conscientious steps to limit their travel , not only to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project a responsible image online .
`` We are also having to think about not really traveling too much at the moment because it could be seen negatively to be promoting travel at a time like this , '' said Lauren Bullen , whose travels and Instagram page @ gypsea_lust have garnered over 2.1 million followers so far .
She 's currently based in Bali and told BuzzFeed News she 's witnessed `` distress '' from members of her wanderlust-y travel community who are forced to indefinitely postpone their trips .

Popular travel influencers say the fears and spread of COVID-19 around the world has impacted their daily lives and bottom lines.
One person reported that her income last month was cut in half.
BuzzFeed News heard from a handful of influencers with followings that range from a few hundred thousand to millions, who say everything has been indefinitely put on hold. Some are unsure what being forced to limit their travel, photo shoots, and brand endorsement deals will do to their livelihood.
"It's impacting my income massively," said Callum Snape, a Vancouver-based travel photographer whose Instagram account has over 818,000 followers. "I haven't seen any new inquiries in the past six weeks since the outbreak became more widespread."
Snape, like many others, said several of his large-scale projects and contracts with other businesses are either postponed or canceled entirely. Not much new is coming in at the moment, either.
"The virus has shifted the industry tremendously," said Alen Palander, an influencer with over 608,000 followers. "Six of my substantial projects have been canceled already, with a few in question at the moment."


buzzfeednews--2020-03-11--Coronavirus Is Forcing Colleges And Universities To Move Classes Online. The Transition Is Proving T

Coronavirus Is Forcing Colleges And Universities To Move Classes Online. The Transition Is Proving To Be Difficult.

“ I had to learn technology is basically what I did this weekend , ” one instructor said .
After learning Friday evening that Stanford University canceled its in-person classes starting Monday , Kathryn Benjamin Golden scrambled to figure out how to teach her Introduction to African and African American Studies course online — which she had never done before .
“ I do n't actually have experience preparing my own lectures through whatever [ online ] tools were available , so I had to learn technology is basically what I did this weekend , ” Benjamin Golden , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Within the last week , universities and colleges across the country ended in-person classes to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus that has sickened more than 100,000 people and killed more than 4,000 worldwide .
As of Tuesday , more than 1,000 people in the US have tested positive for COVID-19 , the disease caused by a novel coronavirus first identified late last year in Wuhan , China , and over two dozen have died .
The outbreak has disrupted air travel , canceled major conferences , and events , and led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entire country of Italy .
Now , it is forcing higher education institutions like Stanford , UC Berkeley , Harvard , MIT , and the University of Washington , where thousands to tens of thousands of students , staff , and faculty congregate on a daily basis , to upend traditional teaching practices in the name of public health .
While some faculty have already adopted online teaching , other instructors are having difficulty making the jump , especially on such short notice .
Benjamin Golden decided to record the audio for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conferencing service , and upload it to the school ’ s online course management system Monday night for students to access on their own rather than hold a live , remote lecture at their regularly scheduled class time .
She said it didn ’ t seem “ feasible ” to hold a live class with her 37 students on Zoom .
“ I know that 's possible , but I 'm not sure how , ” she said .
Educators who have tested out online classes or who have been teaching remotely for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change the way they teach their classes .
“ Certain pedagogies that might work really well in your face-to-face classroom you ’ re going to have to adapt for an online environment , ” said Melissa Wong , an adjunct lecturer in information sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign .
Wong , who has been teaching online courses for nearly two decades and currently teaches all of her courses from her home in California , said she has found that breaking up the class into 10- to 15-minute chunks where she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilitating a class discussion helps keep students engaged .
“ You can do amazingly great stuff , but you have to spend a little time figuring that all out , ” she said .
“ It 's going to be a learning curve , but it 's also a great chance to model to our students that we can learn new technologies [ and ] we can take on new challenges.
” Online conferencing services like Zoom or Blackboard , allow participants to “ raise hands , ” share screens , message the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off into smaller discussion groups .
Instructors have found that with smaller classes it ’ s relatively easy to have students ask questions verbally , but it ’ s important for everyone to use headsets or headphones in that situation to avoid feedback and echos .
Maya Lustgarten , a senior at the University of Washington , said it was a bit harder to interact with her Korean language teacher through Zoom on Monday , but the experience overall was good considering the circumstances .
“ I thought compared to other actual online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it was honestly a better situation because you can still see the teacher and there ’ s like a chat feature where you can communicate with them , ” Lustgarten told BuzzFeed News .
Instead of adapting , some professors have chosen to cancel classes altogether .
“ For two of my classes , we were just supposed to have presentations this week and they both said that they thought it was too difficult to get everyone on Zoom to , ” UW sophomore Selma El-Badawi told BuzzFeed News .
El-Badawi , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said all four of her classes were canceled after the university announced it was ending in-person instruction Friday through March 20 , when its winter quarter ends .
“ I mean on one hand I ’ m fine with not having to present , but on the other I already kind of made my presentations , ” she said .
“ I just kind of wish I hadn ’ t spent as much time on that.
” Shannon Gibson , an associate professor in political science and international relations at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three-day test of online teaching this week , said she was disappointed to hear that some faculty aren ’ t embracing the opportunity .
“ I think it ’ s a combination of faculty wanting the academic freedom to teach the way that they want to teach and I think there ’ s also a level of technological intimidation , ” Gibson told BuzzFeed News .
“ I think some of them are just hoping the test is all there is.
” She added that regardless of whether USC administrators decide to end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ I feel like we ’ re all sort of one earthquake away from having to do this anyways.
” “ It ’ s a good opportunity to get on board , ” Gibson said .
Although the University of Iowa has not yet moved to online-only instruction , Juan Pablo Hourcade , an associate professor in computer science at the Iowa City college , began to give students the option of attending his class online two weeks ago , so that he could figure out how to use the software in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s helped me work through a few things with the software that we use with the process and it ’ s also helped some of the students start to figure out how to do things , ” Hourcade told BuzzFeed News .
On Wednesday , the university announced it would move to online classes starting March 23 .
Hourcade encouraged other faculty to test out the technology now and not wait until they have to use it .
Universities have made tutorials and training available to faculty to help them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , including Hourcade and Wong , have also offered their own advice in Twitter threads on how to keep students engaged and other technical tips to set up the best live broadcast .
“ You can do some things that are not going to be as good as face-to-face but at least can enable students to finish up their semester and get something that may not be 100 % of what they were going to get but maybe we can get to 90 % , ” Hourcade said .
Still , educators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of classes , like chemistry labs or performing arts courses , where teaching online just won ’ t work .
“ It 's hard to reproduce , ” said Bret Bennington , a professor of geology at Hofstra University in New York , referring to lab work .
Bennington said he still has a couple of weeks to figure out how he ’ s going to conduct his classes online when students return from spring break .
He ’ s considering uploading a series of photographs of the rocks and fossils students would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person .
“ It 's a shame to lose the immediacy of being able to handle something but the big ideas will come through , ” he said .
While educators who spoke to BuzzFeed News said they understood the need to move classes online and generally welcomed the opportunity to learn how to use the technology , they hoped that classes would resume in person , as normal , soon .
“ I appreciate my health being a priority , but , you know , students are missing out , ” Benjamin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human interactions and I think that that 's the best way that people learn through live exchange of ideas and questions .
… I think that there 's power in that and that 's what learning is about .
”

“I thought compared to other actual online classes I’ve had before I think it was honestly a better situation because you can still see the teacher and there’s like a chat feature where you can communicate with them,” Lustgarten told BuzzFeed News.
Instead of adapting, some professors have chosen to cancel classes altogether.
“For two of my classes, we were just supposed to have presentations this week and they both said that they thought it was too difficult to get everyone on Zoom to,” UW sophomore Selma El-Badawi told BuzzFeed News.
El-Badawi, a history and political science major, said all four of her classes were canceled after the university announced it was ending in-person instruction Friday through March 20, when its winter quarter ends.
“I mean on one hand I’m fine with not having to present, but on the other I already kind of made my presentations,” she said. “I just kind of wish I hadn’t spent as much time on that.”
Shannon Gibson, an associate professor in political science and international relations at the University of Southern California, which is doing a three-day test of online teaching this week, said she was disappointed to hear that some faculty aren’t embracing the opportunity.
“I think it’s a combination of faculty wanting the academic freedom to teach the way that they want to teach and I think there’s also a level of technological intimidation,” Gibson told BuzzFeed News. “I think some of them are just hoping the test is all there is.”
She added that regardless of whether USC administrators decide to end in-person teaching on a more long-term basis, “I feel like we’re all sort of one earthquake away from having to do this anyways.”
“It’s a good opportunity to get on board,” Gibson said.
Although the University of Iowa has not yet moved to online-only instruction, Juan Pablo Hourcade, an associate professor in computer science at the Iowa City college, began to give students the option of attending his class online two weeks ago, so that he could figure out how to use the software in case he is forced to later.
“It’s helped me work through a few things with the software that we use with the process and it’s also helped some of the students start to figure out how to do things,” Hourcade told BuzzFeed News.
On Wednesday, the university announced it would move to online classes starting March 23.
Hourcade encouraged other faculty to test out the technology now and not wait until they have to use it.
Universities have made tutorials and training available to faculty to help them make the transition. Educators across the country, including Hourcade and Wong, have also offered their own advice in Twitter threads on how to keep students engaged and other technical tips to set up the best live broadcast.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-11--The World's Most Valuable Company Used A Migrant Worker As A Human Hand Sanitizer

The pictures of the man dressed as a hand sanitizer during the global coronavirus outbreak went viral and caused outrage online .
Pictures of a migrant worker forced to dress as a hand sanitizer in the lobby of the oil giant Saudi Aramco 's headquarters have caused outrage after going viral .
The pictures emerged Tuesday , showing a man wearing a face mask and a box with the words `` hand sanitizer '' written on it , as well as an actual dispenser , as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
The images were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist — another example of employees being abused in Saudi Arabia , which has been plagued by scandal after scandal around systematic mistreatment of its several million migrant workers .
Though Saudi Arabia has put in place some reforms , including planning to do away with the employer sponsorship system that rights groups said fueled the abuses of workers , migrants in the country still enjoy few rights .
An email to Brunswick , the PR firm that represents Saudi Aramco , went unanswered , but only after the pictures went viral did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` strongly dissatisfied '' with what had happened and that it had taken measures to prevent it from happening again .
The statement , which was only published on its Arabic Twitter account , left unclear who had arranged for the man to be dispensing hand sanitizer in the company 's lobby or why .
The post did not include an apology to the man himself .
There are 21 cases of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , in Saudi Arabia , which has taken steps to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious lessons at mosques and suspending travel to and from 14 counties .
Saudi Aramco is the most valuable company in the world , and in December , its initial public offering was the largest in history at $ 1.7 trillion .
Saudi Arabia is currently waging an oil price war against Russia , which when added to the global fallout from the coronavirus , has led to markets crashing around the world .

Pictures of a migrant worker forced to dress as a hand sanitizer in the lobby of the oil giant Saudi Aramco's headquarters have caused outrage after going viral.
The pictures emerged Tuesday, showing a man wearing a face mask and a box with the words "hand sanitizer" written on it, as well as an actual dispenser, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The images were widely criticized on Twitter as exploitative and racist — another example of employees being abused in Saudi Arabia, which has been plagued by scandal after scandal around systematic mistreatment of its several million migrant workers.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-11--Chinese WeChat Users Are Sharing A Censored Post About COVID-19 By Filling It With Emojis And Writin

Chinese WeChat Users Are Sharing A Censored Post About COVID-19 By Filling It With Emojis And Writing It In Other Languages

China ’ s censors are going to have to learn to read Klingon and Elvish .
People on WeChat , the Chinese messaging app , are evading censors by translating a viral interview from a Wuhan , China , coronavirus whistleblower by rewriting it backward , filling it with typos and emojis , sharing it as a PDF , and even translating it into fictional languages like Klingon .
The heavily shared interview from the March edition of the local state-run magazine , People , was with Ai Fen , the director of the emergency department of Wuhan Central Hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass along information about the then–mystery illness inundating her hospital .
The pictures that Ai took of her patients ’ charts made their way to a group of eight doctors who shared the information on WeChat in late December .
Wuhan police arrested them in late December on charges of `` spreading rumors . ''
One of those doctors , ophthalmologist Li Wenliang , contracted the virus while treating patients and died in February .
In the interview , Ai spoke about how her hospital ’ s disciplinary committee gave her `` an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rumors .
WeChat ’ s censors — which monitor blacklisted characters and use “ optical character recognition ” to scan images or screenshots — immediately started blocking messages that included text from the interview .
But people soon found a clever way to share it anyway .
As the coronavirus ravaged mainland China , WeChat has become an information battleground .
The messaging app , owned by Chinese conglomerate Tencent , has allowed ordinary people to track the virus — as well as pass along hoaxes and misinformation .
But according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an interdisciplinary research group based at the University of Toronto , WeChat has been aggressively censoring content related to the coronavirus outbreak since at least late December .
So to avoid the censorship , people have converted parts of the interview into Morse code , filled it up with emojis , or translated it into fictional languages like Sindarin from The Lord of the Rings or Klingon from Star Trek .
In one particularly creative example , someone inserted it into the iconic opening crawl of Star Wars .
Henry Gao , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Singapore who was sharing WeChat screenshots of the Ai interview on Twitter on Tuesday , told BuzzFeed News that in the beginning of January , his friends and family still in China were very careful about mentioning blacklisted topics — but now , not so much .
“ I had a few friends who were blacklisted on WeChat for a few days because they said something about the cover-up , ” he said .
“ But when they came back , they kept it up.
” He ’ s been shocked at how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors was n't being swept under the rug .
“ This means we 're seeing something like a tipping point , ” he said .
“ In the past when things are censored , people forget about it.
” Renee Xia , the international director for Chinese Human Rights Defenders , told BuzzFeed News she ’ s seen an increase in everyday WeChat users acting more brazenly about censorship following the COVID-19 outbreak and outrage over Li ’ s death last month .
“ It used to be that some cyber activists would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kinds of online users have used them , ” Xia said .
“ A much broader and deeper distrust of the government has spread in the country since this public health crisis began in January.
” Xia said that while the coronavirus outbreak and its political ramifications in China are still very fluid , she believed it would have profound effects on President Xi Jinping ’ s administration .
“ We 're yet to see more clearly what will come out of it , ” she said .
“ This unprecedented danger to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unprecedented opportunity for change since Xi took power .
”

People on WeChat, the Chinese messaging app, are evading censors by translating a viral interview from a Wuhan, China, coronavirus whistleblower by rewriting it backward, filling it with typos and emojis, sharing it as a PDF, and even translating it into fictional languages like Klingon.
The heavily shared interview from the March edition of the local state-run magazine, People, was with Ai Fen, the director of the emergency department of Wuhan Central Hospital. Ai was the first doctor to pass along information about the then–mystery illness inundating her hospital.
The pictures that Ai took of her patients’ charts made their way to a group of eight doctors who shared the information on WeChat in late December. Wuhan police arrested them in late December on charges of "spreading rumors." One of those doctors, ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, contracted the virus while treating patients and died in February.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-30--People Are Bailing Out Inmates From From New York City's Biggest Jail, Where The Coronavirus Outbrea

People Are Bailing Out Inmates From From New York City's Biggest Jail, Where The Coronavirus Outbreak Is Skyrocketing

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
While coronavirus infections in New York City ’ s largest jail have skyrocketed to nearly 10 times the rate of the city ’ s residents overall — according to one legal organization ’ s analysis — a grassroots crowdfunding campaign has been bailing out the Rikers Island inmates .
The Emergency Release Fund , a group of organizers and activists in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 23 and freed five inmates in the last three days , Alex Tereshonkova , a member of the group , told BuzzFeed News on Monday .
The average donation is $ 20 .
“ They have n't been convicted of crimes , ” said Tereshonkova , who pointed out that the inmates eligible for cash bail still have yet to receive a court trial .
This month , New York suspended new trials indefinitely .
“ These people being detained are innocent until proven guilty .
They have the same right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inmates eligible for bail face charges ranging from parole violations , such as breaking a curfew , to more serious offenses like robberies — but they now wait in limbo , many of them sharing cells , as the virus closes in around them .
Founded in September , the Emergency Release Fund had originally focused on freeing transgender inmates , who historically have endured higher rates of violence and sexual assault behind bars .
That focus has expanded during the pandemic , said Tereshonkova , to prioritize LGBTQ people and people of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone else at Rikers Island who qualifies for cash bail .
“ At this point , we are doing everybody.
” On Monday , news spread that Lorena Borjas , a transgender woman whose activism included ending cash bail in New York City , had died from complications from COVID-19 , the disease caused by coronavirus .

While coronavirus infections in New York City’s largest jail have skyrocketed to nearly 10 times the rate of the city’s residents overall — according to one legal organization’s analysis — a grassroots crowdfunding campaign has been bailing out the Rikers Island inmates.
The Emergency Release Fund, a group of organizers and activists in New York, has raised $18,000 since March 23 and freed five inmates in the last three days, Alex Tereshonkova, a member of the group, told BuzzFeed News on Monday. The average donation is $20.
“They haven't been convicted of crimes,” said Tereshonkova, who pointed out that the inmates eligible for cash bail still have yet to receive a court trial. This month, New York suspended new trials indefinitely. “These people being detained are innocent until proven guilty. They have the same right to live that we do.”
Tereshonkova said inmates eligible for bail face charges ranging from parole violations, such as breaking a curfew, to more serious offenses like robberies — but they now wait in limbo, many of them sharing cells, as the virus closes in around them.
Founded in September, the Emergency Release Fund had originally focused on freeing transgender inmates, who historically have endured higher rates of violence and sexual assault behind bars. That focus has expanded during the pandemic, said Tereshonkova, to prioritize LGBTQ people and people of color, and now, to free anyone else at Rikers Island who qualifies for cash bail. “At this point, we are doing everybody.”
On Monday, news spread that Lorena Borjas, a transgender woman whose activism included ending cash bail in New York City, had died from complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-30--Their Mom Died Of The Coronavirus. They Had To Say Goodbye Via Walkie-Talkie.

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , O utbreak Today .
The last time Elijah Ross-Rutter saw his mother , he was looking into her hospital room through a small glass window .
As his mother was dying from the coronavirus , he and his five siblings said goodbye to her using a walkie-talkie .
The receiver sat propped up against a pillow beside their mother .
“ I told her I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry about the kids , ” Ross-Rutter , her fourth-oldest child , told BuzzFeed News .
Sundee Rutter , 42 , a single mother of six and breast cancer survivor , died as a result of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , on March 16 .
All six of her children as well as her sister and mother were outside her hospital room to say goodbye via a handheld radio device .
Rutter was recovering from a yearlong bout with breast cancer when she was diagnosed with COVID-19 .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have her family and friends by her side , but with the coronavirus , Rutter ’ s family could only communicate with her from outside her hospital room .
At first , Ross-Rutter said he was allowed to see her with a face mask on , but then the hospital completely isolated her .
“ Like , I ’ m about to lose my best friend and she can ’ t even hear me , ” Ross-Rutter said .
Ross-Rutter said his mother first visited Providence Regional Medical Center in Washington — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 case was treated — on March 3 .
While there , he and his mother spent eight hours in a sealed room with hospital staff coming in and out wearing full protective suits .
“ They don ’ t even want to touch my mom , ” Ross-Rutter said , adding that they were later sent home .

The last time Elijah Ross-Rutter saw his mother, he was looking into her hospital room through a small glass window. As his mother was dying from the coronavirus, he and his five siblings said goodbye to her using a walkie-talkie. The receiver sat propped up against a pillow beside their mother.
“I told her I love her ... she shouldn’t worry about the kids,” Ross-Rutter, her fourth-oldest child, told BuzzFeed News.
Sundee Rutter, 42, a single mother of six and breast cancer survivor, died as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, on March 16. All six of her children as well as her sister and mother were outside her hospital room to say goodbye via a handheld radio device.
Rutter was recovering from a yearlong bout with breast cancer when she was diagnosed with COVID-19. During her cancer treatments, she was able to have her family and friends by her side, but with the coronavirus, Rutter’s family could only communicate with her from outside her hospital room.
At first, Ross-Rutter said he was allowed to see her with a face mask on, but then the hospital completely isolated her.
“Like, I’m about to lose my best friend and she can’t even hear me,” Ross-Rutter said.
Ross-Rutter said his mother first visited Providence Regional Medical Center in Washington — the hospital where the first known US COVID-19 case was treated — on March 3.
While there, he and his mother spent eight hours in a sealed room with hospital staff coming in and out wearing full protective suits.
“They don’t even want to touch my mom,” Ross-Rutter said, adding that they were later sent home.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-30--Chinese Propaganda Is Trying To Paint The Country As A Leader In Coronavirus Response

“ China ’ s larger strategic goals , under which all of this rolls up , are to convince the world and make the world feel comfortable in China ’ s ascendancy.
” The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Chinese state propaganda is trying to shift the blame for the pandemic away from China and paint the country as a responsible global leader , according to Somerville , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China ’ s larger strategic goals , under which all of this rolls up , are to convince the world and make the world feel comfortable in China ’ s ascendancy , ” Priscilla Moriuchi , director of strategic threat development at Recorded Future , told BuzzFeed News .
To do that , Moriuchi said the country 's state-run , English-language media has been pushing narratives of Western incompetence alongside stories on the Chinese government 's humanitarian efforts on their Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram accounts .
The cybersecurity company has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — primarily news outlets that don ’ t hide their affiliation with the state — for over two years .
News about COVID-19 first made an appearance on state media on Jan. 9 , the same day the World Health Organization announced that it was a new virus , and at first focused on updates on the progression of the outbreak .
Then , on Feb. 11 , as the virus began its spread to Western countries , the accounts began to shift blame for the pandemic away from China .
“ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more interesting is that this is the case when the Chinese government can execute a binary comparison , ” Moriuchi said .
“ They can point to metrics , specific numbers , the duration of the outbreak.
” An additional study from nonprofit , Toronto-based research organization Citizen Lab has shown that the Chinese government has actively censored terms related to the virus on domestic social media and any references to Dr. Li Wenliang , the Wuhan Central Hospital doctor who sounded the alarm on the virus before dying from COVID-19 .
Recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s death became impossible to ignore within the country , the propaganda channels sought to change the narrative .
“ What they ’ ve chosen to do is reframe his role as a hero , ” Moriuchi said .
“ Someone who attempted to bang the drum at the local level.
” Moriuchi said the shift in Chinese narratives , especially painting the country as a leader in coronavirus response , has been fairly effective .
There have been plenty of stories of Chinese aid being sent to Western countries suffering outbreaks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ slow trickle of pro-China news , Moriuchi said , which does not directly say the country ’ s response is superior — but attempts to show it .
“ It ’ s very rare for a Chinese [ state media ] account to be very explicit in the comment they ’ re trying to make , ” she said .
“ In a way , Chinese messaging is more insidious because it ’ s a trickle.
” State media in countries like Iran and Russia have also picked up Chinese talking points , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrative spread by the country 's ambassadors and diplomatic staff , falsely claiming that the virus came from the US .
“ That little verified tick — no matter which social platform you use — doesn ’ t mean that the information you ’ re getting is useful , ” Moriuchi said .

“What feeds into that strategy and makes it more interesting is that this is the case when the Chinese government can execute a binary comparison,” Moriuchi said. “They can point to metrics, specific numbers, the duration of the outbreak.”
An additional study from nonprofit, Toronto-based research organization Citizen Lab has shown that the Chinese government has actively censored terms related to the virus on domestic social media and any references to Dr. Li Wenliang, the Wuhan Central Hospital doctor who sounded the alarm on the virus before dying from COVID-19.
Recorded Future found that once Dr. Li’s death became impossible to ignore within the country, the propaganda channels sought to change the narrative.
“What they’ve chosen to do is reframe his role as a hero,” Moriuchi said. “Someone who attempted to bang the drum at the local level.”
Moriuchi said the shift in Chinese narratives, especially painting the country as a leader in coronavirus response, has been fairly effective. There have been plenty of stories of Chinese aid being sent to Western countries suffering outbreaks. What makes the strategy effective is the slow trickle of pro-China news, Moriuchi said, which does not directly say the country’s response is superior — but attempts to show it.
“It’s very rare for a Chinese [state media] account to be very explicit in the comment they’re trying to make,” she said. “In a way, Chinese messaging is more insidious because it’s a trickle.”
State media in countries like Iran and Russia have also picked up Chinese talking points, blaming the West or, in a narrative spread by the country's ambassadors and diplomatic staff, falsely claiming that the virus came from the US.
Moriuchi warned against buying into state media narratives.
“That little verified tick — no matter which social platform you use — doesn’t mean that the information you’re getting is useful,” Moriuchi said.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-30--Facebook Pledged $100 Million To Help News Outlets Hit By The Coronavirus Crisis

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
“ Right now journalists are working under very difficult conditions to keep their communities informed , and many news organizations are struggling due to the economic impact of the outbreak , ” wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the website .
“ Local news is especially hard hit , so we 're committing $ 25 million for emergency grant funding through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 75 million in marketing spend to support journalists and news organizations covering the crisis . ''
Facebook is pledging $ 100 million to help a struggling news industry that has been starved of advertising revenue amidst the coronavirus pandemic , the company announced on Monday .
News organizations around the world — especially local newsrooms — have been hit hard by the economic downturn caused by the pandemic .
Major global brands , for instance , have been blocking the number of digital ads placed on news websites .
Earlier this month , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and digital publishers it surveyed would miss business targets this year .
Analysts said that the coronavirus pandemic could be worse for the news industry than the 2008 financial crisis , when newspapers saw advertising revenues decline by 19 % .
“ [ Newspaper ] advertising revenue is just getting wiped out , ” Ken Doctor , a news industry analyst , told BuzzFeed News last week .
Indeed , publishers around the world have already started cutting back .
Alternative weeklies in the US and Canada have laid off staff and stopped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Vermont ’ s oldest daily newspaper , laid off 20 of its 42 staffers ; and the New York Times warned in early March that its ad revenue would suffer .
“ At a time when journalism is needed more than ever , ad revenues are declining due to the economic impact of the virus , ” wrote Campbell Brown , Facebook ’ s vice president for global news partnerships , in a statement .
“ Local journalists are being hit especially hard , even as people turn to them for critical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and communities safe.
” If people needed more proof that local journalism is a vital public service , Brown added , they 're getting it now .
“ [ While ] almost all businesses are facing adverse financial effects from this crisis , we recognize we 're in a more privileged position than most , and we want to help .
”

News organizations around the world — especially local newsrooms — have been hit hard by the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. Major global brands, for instance, have been blocking the number of digital ads placed on news websites. Earlier this month, Digiday reported that 88% of legacy and digital publishers it surveyed would miss business targets this year.
Analysts said that the coronavirus pandemic could be worse for the news industry than the 2008 financial crisis, when newspapers saw advertising revenues decline by 19%. “[Newspaper] advertising revenue is just getting wiped out,” Ken Doctor, a news industry analyst, told BuzzFeed News last week.
Indeed, publishers around the world have already started cutting back. Alternative weeklies in the US and Canada have laid off staff and stopped publishing print editions; the Rutland Herald, Vermont’s oldest daily newspaper, laid off 20 of its 42 staffers; and the New York Times warned in early March that its ad revenue would suffer.
“At a time when journalism is needed more than ever, ad revenues are declining due to the economic impact of the virus,” wrote Campbell Brown, Facebook’s vice president for global news partnerships, in a statement. “Local journalists are being hit especially hard, even as people turn to them for critical information to keep their friends, families and communities safe.”
If people needed more proof that local journalism is a vital public service, Brown added, they're getting it now. “[While] almost all businesses are facing adverse financial effects from this crisis, we recognize we're in a more privileged position than most, and we want to help.”


buzzfeednews--2020-03-30--A Leading Activist In Britain’s Muslim Community Has Died Of The Coronavirus

Fuad Nahdi , a prominent British Muslim journalist and activist who published an influential Muslim-focused magazine and was a key voice in Britain ’ s Muslim community , died on March 21 after being infected by what his family later learned was the novel coronavirus , his son said .
Nahdi , 62 , who had other health issues stemming from diabetes and cancer , fell ill and “ spiraled really fast , ” his son , Nadir Nahdi , told BuzzFeed News .
His family called an ambulance , and Nahdi was taken from his home in Wembley , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remained in the hospital for about a day and a half before he died ; his coronavirus test came back positive two days after his death , his son said .
Friends and family remembered Nahdi ’ s charismatic personality , his talent for networking and mentoring , and his important role in shaping contemporary British Muslim identity .
“ Fuad Nahdi was a powerful force to be reckoned with , inside the Muslim community , but more generally in British civil society , as well as more broadly in international Muslim circles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a friend of Nahdi ’ s and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington , DC , said in an email .
“ He was fiercely independent , and deeply committed to the normative tradition of Sunni Islam that informed his sense of justice and spirituality.
” Born in Tanzania in 1957 , Nahdi grew up in Mombasa , Kenya , and went to the University of Nairobi .
He moved to the United Kingdom in 1983 after winning a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the UK , he met Humera Khan , and the couple married in 1989 .
They had two children together : Nadir , 30 , founder of online platform Beni , and Ilyeh , 25 , a speech and language therapist .
Khan , 60 , is also an activist in her own right as the cofounder of An-Nisa Society , a group focused on Muslim women .
He founded Q-News in the early 1990s , a magazine that focused on young Muslims in the UK and was published until 2006 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Q-News as a publication could be summed up in four ways : as progressive , cosmopolitan , attentive to context , and respectful but never deferential let alone obsequious towards religious and political authority , ” Yahya Birt , a University of Leeds professor and another friend of Nahdi ’ s , wrote in a Medium post remembering him .
Through Q-News , Nahdi mentored a generation of young Muslim activists and journalists .
“ I think every single person that wrote there , Fuad had something to do with their careers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager of the Inclusive Curriculum program at the London School of Economics and longtime friend of Nahdi ’ s , who wrote for and served as an editor at Q-News .
Munawar described how Nahdi was an attentive but sometimes challenging mentor .
She recalled how , after she was getting ready to submit her master ’ s thesis about responses to 9/11 in the Muslim community , she asked Nahdi to look it over .
“ He called me back and said it was bullshit , ” Munawar recalled with a laugh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to [ say ] , ‘ You ’ re not gon na like this , but this is what I think about this.
’ ...
He wanted it to be good.
” Munawar said Nahdi was influential in shaping her thinking in her academic work on Muslim identity ; “ He really brought out that idea that you do n't impose identity on people , but it should come from them.
” “ Dad was all about providing an alternative narrative that was positive and uplifting , ” Nadir Nahdi said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an emerging young British Muslim identity to take shape because it was n't rooted in the kind of heaviness , the tropes of what the politicized environment was trying to bottle us in.
” Nahdi made inroads into the British establishment and encouraged interfaith cooperation , becoming the first Muslim to address the General Synod , the Church of England ’ s legislative body .
And during a fraught era in which discourse around Islam and Muslims in the West was often imbued with anti-Muslim prejudice and focused on extremism and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence policymakers and in 2005 launched an organization , Radical Middle Way , that was focused on promoting a more positive vision of Islam .
“ The Radical Middle Way is based on the premise that most of the discussion about Islam is held in a context of extremism on both sides , ” Nahdi said in an interview in 2007 .
“ So actually to be moderate , to be in the middle , is radical because it 's different from the perceived notion around us.
” Munawar recalled once tagging along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Parliament ; as they sat in the café having tea , Nahdi spotted former prime minister Margaret Thatcher nearby and cheekily dared Munawar to go speak with her .
His impish sense of humor endeared him to many .
“ There was laughter everywhere that he went , ” his son , Nadir , said .
“ Dad was literally the soul of a party.
” Under normal circumstances , the family home would have been inundated with visitors in the wake of his death , Nadir said .
But because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family have been grieving alone and were only permitted to have 20 people attend Nahdi ’ s funeral last week .
But there was “ a sense of obligation that it was n't only us grieving , but it was the whole Muslim world almost because Dad was quite a prominent figure in Muslim relations and conversations over a long period of time , ” Nadir said .
So the family decided to livestream his funeral so Nahdi ’ s friends and associates around the world could be there at least virtually .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Nahdi over Zoom and Facebook on Thursday night .

Fuad Nahdi, a prominent British Muslim journalist and activist who published an influential Muslim-focused magazine and was a key voice in Britain’s Muslim community, died on March 21 after being infected by what his family later learned was the novel coronavirus, his son said.
Nahdi, 62, who had other health issues stemming from diabetes and cancer, fell ill and “spiraled really fast,” his son, Nadir Nahdi, told BuzzFeed News.
His family called an ambulance, and Nahdi was taken from his home in Wembley, an area of northwest London. He remained in the hospital for about a day and a half before he died; his coronavirus test came back positive two days after his death, his son said.
Friends and family remembered Nahdi’s charismatic personality, his talent for networking and mentoring, and his important role in shaping contemporary British Muslim identity.
“Fuad Nahdi was a powerful force to be reckoned with, inside the Muslim community, but more generally in British civil society, as well as more broadly in international Muslim circles,” Dr. H.A. Hellyer, a friend of Nahdi’s and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, said in an email. “He was fiercely independent, and deeply committed to the normative tradition of Sunni Islam that informed his sense of justice and spirituality.”
Born in Tanzania in 1957, Nahdi grew up in Mombasa, Kenya, and went to the University of Nairobi. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1983 after winning a scholarship to attend SOAS University of London. In the UK, he met Humera Khan, and the couple married in 1989. They had two children together: Nadir, 30, founder of online platform Beni, and Ilyeh, 25, a speech and language therapist. Khan, 60, is also an activist in her own right as the cofounder of An-Nisa Society, a group focused on Muslim women.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-30--"A Friend To All": A Veteran CBS News Journalist Died Of The Coronavirus

The news industry is mourning the death of a veteran CBS News journalist who died as a result of the coronavirus .
Maria Mercader , who worked at CBS News for more than three decades , died at a New York hospital at age 54 , according to CBS .
She had previously fought cancer and had been on medical leave from the network for an unrelated matter since February .
`` Even more than her talents as a journalist , we will miss her indomitable spirit , '' said Susan Zirinsky , CBS News president and senior executive producer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our lives .
Even when she was hospitalized — and she knew something was going on at CBS , she would call with counsel , encouragement , and would say 'you can do this . '
I called Maria a 'warrior , ' she was .
Maria was a gift we cherished . ''
Throughout her career , Mercader covered major news events such as the 9/11 attacks and Princess Diana 's death .
In 2004 , she won a Business Emmy for her work on CBS Sunday Morning .
In recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in talent development , Vladimir Duthiers , a CBS News and CBS This Morning correspondent , told BuzzFeed News .
`` That role was tailor-made for Maria , '' he said , adding that Mercader was able to cultivate , train , and mentor young journalists .
`` I 've gotten dozen of messages from reporters at CBS News recalling how she worked diligently to get them to the network and how she continued working with them even long after they joined CBS , '' Duthiers said .
According to CBS , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1987 through the CBS Page Program .
In the nearly 30 years she spent there , she worked on the foreign and national desks .
Her 2004 piece on computer spam won her a Business Emmy that year .
Mercader was also an active member of the Asian American Journalists Association .
`` Maria was a dear mentor and friend to many AAJA members , '' the organization 's Board of Directors said in a statement .
`` She was a proud 2004 graduate of AAJA ’ s Executive Leadership Program in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
`` Maria was a friend to all , '' Laurie Orlando , CBS News SVP of Talent , said in a statement .
`` It 's nearly impossible to be someone EVERYONE loves , but Maria was .
She always had a warm hug , a word of advice or support and a big smile for everyone in her life .
She was a bright light and will be sorely missed . ''
Earlier this month , an audio technician for NBC News who had underlying health conditions also died as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Larry was a gentle bear of a man , the heart and soul of our extended NBC family , '' said Andrea Mitchell , NBC News ' chief foreign affairs correspondent .
`` I was always cheered and reassured knowing he was on the team in the field .
He always had my back whether here in the US or in the most dangerous situations around the world . ''
In a tribute posted to Instagram , NBC 's Savannah Guthrie said she `` adored Larry . ''
`` We traveled together for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2008 and he was always the most warm , most professional , most loving .
All hours of the day and night , no matter how hungry or tired or stressed we were - he was always a joy , '' she wrote .

The news industry is mourning the death of a veteran CBS News journalist who died as a result of the coronavirus.
Maria Mercader, who worked at CBS News for more than three decades, died at a New York hospital at age 54, according to CBS. She had previously fought cancer and had been on medical leave from the network for an unrelated matter since February.
"Even more than her talents as a journalist, we will miss her indomitable spirit," said Susan Zirinsky, CBS News president and senior executive producer. "Maria was part of all of our lives. Even when she was hospitalized — and she knew something was going on at CBS, she would call with counsel, encouragement, and would say 'you can do this.' I called Maria a 'warrior,' she was. Maria was a gift we cherished."
Throughout her career, Mercader covered major news events such as the 9/11 attacks and Princess Diana's death. In 2004, she won a Business Emmy for her work on CBS Sunday Morning.


buzzfeednews--2020-06-28--News O'Clock (newsoclock) on BuzzFeed

News O'Clock (newsoclock) on BuzzFeed

WTF Is Up With All These Fireworks ?
!
`` People ’ s reasons for doing this aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ anywhere , but I think it ’ s safe to say that there are factors @ @ @ @ @ play , in addition to just wanting to have a little bit of human joy @ @

“Each of us, we’re the main character in our own lives. So, when you’re the main character, it’s like, How *dare* someone not want to be with me right now? Even though I just broke up with them.’”
2 years ago


buzzfeednews--2020-05-07--Struggling Restaurants Paid Record Fees To Grubhub During The Pandemic

Restaurants expect to lose $ 240 billion by the end of the year , but for Grubhub , “ COVID-19 is a net tailwind ” for now .
BuzzFeed News has reporters across five continents bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
As empty restaurants around the country struggle against an uncertain future and perhaps unrealistic guidelines for reopening during the coronavirus pandemic , takeout-ordering company Grubhub reported record revenues of $ 363 million from January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same quarter a year ago .
Restaurant owners have long complained that fees charged by ordering platforms like Grubhub , often ranging from 15 % to 30 % , make orders less profitable , and sometimes unprofitable — but businesses have no choice but to use them if they want to retain customers .
They also discovered Grubhub was secretly buying up thousands of restaurant domain names and using them to build shadow websites that competed with pages operated by restaurants .
Now , with dining rooms closed and lockdowns still in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Gruhub have become a crucial source of business .
New York City lawmakers have proposed capping delivery service fees at 10 % and banning advertising or processing fees when a state of emergency has been declared .
Meanwhile , consumers filed a lawsuit against Grubhub , Uber Eats , DoorDash , and Postmates last month , accusing them of using their monopoly power to charge restaurants high fees that are passed on to customers during a financially catastrophic pandemic .
The companies ’ “ fees are shocking when one considers how little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” their complaint stated .
“ I can ’ t believe that we have to legislate over a company whose gross food sales are in the billions in order for them to give local restaurants a break of a few hundred dollars per month !
” New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan said to BuzzFeed News .
Grubhub ’ s record quarter included about two weeks at the end of March that were negatively impacted by coronavirus closures , but its business quickly rebounded .
The company reported the number of daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % compared to a year ago , and “ all of our non-New York markets are experiencing a growth surge with many over 100 % year-over-year.
” “ For now , COVID-19 is a net tailwind for our growth metrics , ” Grubhub noted in its earnings release .
Executives told investors on Thursday that while business is up significantly , the company is merely breaking even , that it will invest nearly all profits in the second quarter to helping restaurants boost their orders , and that it has deferred $ 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although restaurant owners say the fine print on the deferral program makes it far less helpful than waiving or reducing fees ) .
Critics say such measures are not enough .
“ If Grubhub and other delivery apps truly want to support the local restaurants they depend on for their billions , they don ’ t need to come up with creative schemes .
Just cap the commission so the local restaurants can survive this crisis , ” said Brannan .
In its call with investors , Grubhub executives called fee caps ineffective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an April letter to New York lawmakers : “ This arbitrary cap would limit how restaurants , and especially small and independent establishments , can market themselves and therefore severely limits how many customers and orders we can bring to these restaurants .
”

As empty restaurants around the country struggle against an uncertain future and perhaps unrealistic guidelines for reopening during the coronavirus pandemic, takeout-ordering company Grubhub reported record revenues of $363 million from January through March, up 12% from the same quarter a year ago.
Restaurant owners have long complained that fees charged by ordering platforms like Grubhub, often ranging from 15% to 30%, make orders less profitable, and sometimes unprofitable — but businesses have no choice but to use them if they want to retain customers. They also discovered Grubhub was secretly buying up thousands of restaurant domain names and using them to build shadow websites that competed with pages operated by restaurants. Now, with dining rooms closed and lockdowns still in effect, takeout orders facilitated by platforms like Gruhub have become a crucial source of business.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-01--Donald Trump Won’t Open Enrollment For Obamacare During The Coronavirus Outbreak

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
The Trump administration will not open up Obamacare enrollment , denying millions of people the chance to buy health insurance during the coronavirus outbreak .
As the pandemic spread and unemployment spiked in recent weeks , White House officials had said they were considering reopening the individual markets through HealthCare.gov , allowing people who may have lost jobs to access health insurance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News on Wednesday that that will not happen .
Normally , people can only sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces — commonly known as Obamacare — during a set period at the end of the calendar year .
But the administration was considering a special enrollment period to allow more people to buy health insurance .
The news that it will not do so was first reported by Politico .
A record 3.3 million people filed for unemployment in one week , and tens of millions more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders are lifted .
Under the ACA , people who lose their jobs are eligible to buy insurance plans on the individual markets , but they may need to provide documents showing that they 've lost their job or that their income level has changed .
Reopening the ACA marketplaces would have streamlined this process and allowed others to buy federally regulated health insurance plans during the public health emergency .
Democrats have condemned the White House ’ s decision as cruel .
“ It should be unimaginable that in the middle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States would reject a clear opportunity to help people get health care coverage they desperately need , ” said Sen. Patty Murray , the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health Committee .
“ But that ’ s exactly what President Trump is doing .
It ’ s inexcusable.
” Eleven states plus the District of Columbia are allowing people to sign up for Obamacare plans on their own state marketplaces .
Those states are California , Colorado , Connecticut , Maryland , Massachusetts , Minnesota , Nevada , New York , Rhode Island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ option for people who want to keep their work insurance is to sign up for COBRA plans , wherein they pay the full premiums for the work health insurance .
These tend to be significantly more expensive because the now-out-of-work individual has to pay both their regular monthly premiums and their former employer ’ s contributions .
Alternatively , depending on a person ’ s income level , they may also qualify for Medicaid .
The Trump administration has taken a cold view of administering the Obamacare markets since day one .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ACA that failed in Congress and taken various steps to weaken the marketplaces , such as shortening enrollment periods and opening up competition from unregulated plans that are cheaper but pay out far lower benefits .
Most importantly , the administration is breaking with the convention of defending established law and backing a legal fight to have the entire ACA thrown out as unconstitutional .
The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case this year .

The Trump administration will not open up Obamacare enrollment, denying millions of people the chance to buy health insurance during the coronavirus outbreak.
As the pandemic spread and unemployment spiked in recent weeks, White House officials had said they were considering reopening the individual markets through HealthCare.gov, allowing people who may have lost jobs to access health insurance. But an administration official confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Wednesday that that will not happen.
Normally, people can only sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces — commonly known as Obamacare — during a set period at the end of the calendar year. But the administration was considering a special enrollment period to allow more people to buy health insurance. The news that it will not do so was first reported by Politico.
A record 3.3 million people filed for unemployment in one week, and tens of millions more could lose their jobs before social distancing orders are lifted. Under the ACA, people who lose their jobs are eligible to buy insurance plans on the individual markets, but they may need to provide documents showing that they've lost their job or that their income level has changed.
Reopening the ACA marketplaces would have streamlined this process and allowed others to buy federally regulated health insurance plans during the public health emergency. Democrats have condemned the White House’s decision as cruel.
“It should be unimaginable that in the middle of a pandemic the President of the United States would reject a clear opportunity to help people get health care coverage they desperately need,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health Committee. “But that’s exactly what President Trump is doing. It’s inexcusable.”
Eleven states plus the District of Columbia are allowing people to sign up for Obamacare plans on their own state marketplaces. Those states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Another option for people who want to keep their work insurance is to sign up for COBRA plans, wherein they pay the full premiums for the work health insurance. These tend to be significantly more expensive because the now-out-of-work individual has to pay both their regular monthly premiums and their former employer’s contributions. Alternatively, depending on a person’s income level, they may also qualify for Medicaid.
The Trump administration has taken a cold view of administering the Obamacare markets since day one. It has backed the Republican push to repeal the ACA that failed in Congress and taken various steps to weaken the marketplaces, such as shortening enrollment periods and opening up competition from unregulated plans that are cheaper but pay out far lower benefits.
Most importantly, the administration is breaking with the convention of defending established law and backing a legal fight to have the entire ACA thrown out as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case this year.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-01--A British Newspaper Has Given Chinese Coronavirus Propaganda A Direct Line To The UK

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
UPDATE : As of April 3 , the Telegraph appeared to have removed the People 's Daily Online site in its entirety .
As of April 7 , the Telegraph also appeared to have removed China Daily 's China Watch feature .
A spokesperson for the Telegraph did not return a request for comment When medical authorities in China claimed they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , using pseudoscience , one major British newspaper made sure there was space for China 's party line on the story .
“ Traditional Chinese medicine ‘ helps fight coronavirus , ' ” declared the March 3 headline , in the online version of the Daily Telegraph .
Without any evidence , the article claimed that the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine had tested an unidentified “ prescription ” on 804 patients , and that `` by the end of 14 February , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per cent of the cases . ''
The article was published in a section of the Telegraph ’ s site called People ’ s Daily Online , a self-contained “ advertisement feature ” promising `` all the latest stories about contemporary China ’ s dynamic development , diverse culture and world-leading infrastructure , '' complete with a home page and sections for news , opinion , business , and sports , among other topics .
But beyond a boilerplate disclaimer waiving responsibility , nowhere does the site disclose any information about its sponsor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official newspaper and mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China .
Its `` advertisement feature '' on the Telegraph 's site is part of a global propaganda campaign that positions the country as a leader in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic , which has now killed more than 44,000 people worldwide .
The Telegraph is one of dozens of newspapers around the world that have struck deals with China in recent years .
According to one report , the paper received £750,000 annually to carry a supplement called China Watch from Chinese state-run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prior to the coronavirus pandemic , had led to accusations that the British newspaper had softened its editorial line on Beijing .
The Daily Telegraph and the People 's Daily did not return requests for comment .
At least 16 articles were taken down Wednesday , after BuzzFeed News began asking questions .
Online archives show that the People 's Daily Online began running stories about the coronavirus in February , shortly after China 's President Xi Jinping “ called upon Chinese media to publish stories casting [ China 's response ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Axios reported .
Since then , it has run more than 50 paid articles in the Telegraph praising the Chinese government and attacking its foreign adversaries .
Unlike the Telegraph ’ s own coronavirus coverage , much of which is hidden behind a paywall , all of the People 's Daily Online content is free to read .

UPDATE: As of April 3, the Telegraph appeared to have removed the People's Daily Online site in its entirety. As of April 7, the Telegraph also appeared to have removed China Daily's China Watch feature. A spokesperson for the Telegraph did not return a request for comment
When medical authorities in China claimed they’d cured more than 750 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, using pseudoscience, one major British newspaper made sure there was space for China's party line on the story.
“Traditional Chinese medicine ‘helps fight coronavirus,'” declared the March 3 headline, in the online version of the Daily Telegraph. Without any evidence, the article claimed that the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine had tested an unidentified “prescription” on 804 patients, and that "by the end of 14 February," it had proven "effective in 94 per cent of the cases."
The article was published in a section of the Telegraph’s site called People’s Daily Online, a self-contained “advertisement feature” promising "all the latest stories about contemporary China’s dynamic development, diverse culture and world-leading infrastructure," complete with a home page and sections for news, opinion, business, and sports, among other topics. But beyond a boilerplate disclaimer waiving responsibility, nowhere does the site disclose any information about its sponsor.
People’s Daily is the official newspaper and mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China. Its "advertisement feature" on the Telegraph's site is part of a global propaganda campaign that positions the country as a leader in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has now killed more than 44,000 people worldwide.
The Telegraph is one of dozens of newspapers around the world that have struck deals with China in recent years. According to one report, the paper received £750,000 annually to carry a supplement called China Watch from Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily, a relationship which, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, had led to accusations that the British newspaper had softened its editorial line on Beijing.
The Daily Telegraph and the People's Daily did not return requests for comment. At least 16 articles were taken down Wednesday, after BuzzFeed News began asking questions.
Online archives show that the People's Daily Online began running stories about the coronavirus in February, shortly after China's President Xi Jinping “called upon Chinese media to publish stories casting [China's response] in a positive light,” as Axios reported. Since then, it has run more than 50 paid articles in the Telegraph praising the Chinese government and attacking its foreign adversaries. Unlike the Telegraph’s own coronavirus coverage, much of which is hidden behind a paywall, all of the People's Daily Online content is free to read.