Access denied: COVID-19 pandemic complicates journalists' workA socially distant press conference with Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 16, 2020NEW YORK - While institutions, governments, elected officials, companies and sports federations are all having to adapt to new constraints under the coronavirus pandemic, experts say they are often using the health crisis as an excuse to restrict journalists' access. Cover-up attempts often involve information about the pandemic itself, which may shed unfavorable light on the management of the virus by government or local officials. In politics, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is regularly accused of shielding himself from the media under cover of the pandemic. When he takes questions, which is rare, his communications team designates the four or five journalists allowed to quiz him. In addition to restricted access, journalists have been subjected to censorship in several countries, a measure presented as a means of combating disinformation linked to the pandemic.

Source: Bangkok Post September 18, 2020 01:30 UTC