Media Together: Editorial

As with all industries, the spread of Covid-19 has put strains on all facets of the media industry, including marketing, advertising and editorial teams. As part of an ongoing project, Adweek has solicited stories of those who have been furloughed, laid off or otherwise affected by the pandemic. If you’ve been affected, please consider submitting your story here. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Joshua Eaton Most recently: Investigative reporter, CQ Roll Call [kickout id="2" label="joshua-eaton"] Adweek: What's your experience been like during Covid-19? My former newsroom went fully remote on March 11 in response to the pandemic. Just over a month later, on April 2, I was abruptly laid off along with 29 other people at the company. What's your hope for the media industry post-Covid-19? In my ideal world, there would be a shift away from national media toward local and regional media. The national media would become less concentrated in Washington, D.C., and New York. It would refocus on reporting that tells the stories of ordinary Americans and holds people in power accountable. It would tackle issues that are important outside the beltway, and it would grow less enamored with what happens in press scrums on Capitol Hill, the White House briefing room or a campaign bus, as important and vital as covering those things still is. What is your motivation behind working in the industry? What are some memorable experiences you've had during your employment in the media industry? In February and March 2015, Boston had record-breaking snowfall that shut large portions of the city down. I wrote a story for Al Jazeera America on how the snow was impacting low-wage workers, many of whom were losing shifts or couldn't get to work. One of the people I featured was a 38-year-old house cleaner named Dora Sandova. She and her two young children had gone almost two weeks without electricity after firefighters cut off their power because of a leak caused by snow piling up on the roof. Sandoval's children couldn't study at night; they all had to sleep in the same room and she had to cook in a neighbor's apartment. A couple of days after the story came out, Sandoval's landlord fixed the problem. Joan Michelson Most recently: Communications consultant and coach [kickout id="1"] Adweek: What's your experience been like during Covid-19? Gigs canceled, projects put on hold until further notice. What's your hope for the media industry post-Covid-19? Funding will flow again. They will hire me to do stories on the relationship between corporate responsibility and the bottom line, which this crisis is showing to be very important. I also seek to do stories on innovation and the planet. What is your motivation behind working in the industry? What are some memorable experiences you've had during your employment in the media industry? Sharing stories, perspectives and voices that have not historically been heard, especially women's; getting important accurate information to the public. I thoroughly enjoy digging for, producing and writing great stories and investigative reporting and interviewing interesting people. Cambria Roth Most recently: Audience and growth, The Brooklyn Eagle [kickout id="3"] Adweek: What's your experience been like during Covid-19? I was getting interviews for positions and talking to potential employers before the pandemic really hit, but since March, there are hardly any media jobs to apply to and competition is now even more intense. What is your motivation behind working in the industry? What are some memorable experiences you've had during your employment in the media industry? I'm passionate about connecting readers to important stories and helping news organizations reach audiences that they might not have without someone focused on developing newsletters or connecting with people on social media.