Coverage of Essential Workers in Pandemic Shows Their Value

Nine months ago, everyone’s daily routine came to a halt. News outlets started informing the public about a deadly respiratory infection that has now killed more than 280,000 Americans. Schools, law firms and workers in other non-essential jobs were told to operate online to ensure safety and enforce socially distancing.

However, essential workers can’t stop going into work, and they risk getting COVID-19 every day.

ABC, CBS and NBC have changed the way they present the news. Today, most of their broadcasts focus on daily coronavirus and essential worker updates. In March, the news focused on grocery-store employees working 12-hour shifts. During these long hours they disinfected stores for the safety of the next shoppers. Capturing their workdays involved telling stories about the toll the pandemic has taken on workers’ lives.

Before COVID-19 happened, there was little coverage on grocery, postal or transportation workers.

News coverage of the workers didn’t necessarily lead to companies raising their wages. However, when workers were covered, companies like Amazon, Costco, Target, Safeway and Wal-Mart gave their employees raises to help cope with the grueling work hours. Many stores would open an hour early so essential and healthcare workers could shop before items sold out at the end of the day. That included disinfectant wipes, food, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and toilet paper.

By the summer of 2020, as COVID-19 cases were rising, daily coverage of healthcare workers increased, at the expense of other essential workers. The “new normal” had changed.

Because medical professionals are in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, networks such as ABC, CBS and NBC have focused on their experiences.

At the beginning of the pandemic, reporters dove deep into the story of New York City hospitals and interviewed countless healthcare workers. In April 2020, New York became the epicenter for the virus.

The virus came as a shock to many doctors and scientists in the U.S. It was new and many are still figuring out what makes it deadly.

To help their viewers understand more, news outlets brought in medical correspondents to help break down the new developments. A good example of this is Dr. John Torres who constantly gives updates to NBC Nightly News.

Coverage then shifted and showed the emotional distress nurses experience as many see their patients die from the virus. News reports showed nurses protesting for more personal protective equipment and even quitting due to high stress levels, leading to a national shortage of nurses.

Extensive news coverage has sparked a new admiration of essential and health care workers. The news has helped America appreciate the risks those workers take every day to hold the U.S. together.