Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
As people hunker down until at least 25 March, they are reading more newspapers and watching the news.
As people hunker down until at least 25 March, they are reading more newspapers and watching the news. Photograph: Ivan Romano/Getty Images
As people hunker down until at least 25 March, they are reading more newspapers and watching the news. Photograph: Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Italian journalists battle to keep going as thirst for news grows

This article is more than 4 years old

Newsagents among ‘basic necessities’ that can stay open amid coronavirus crisis

The Italian media is continuing to play a key role in covering the coronavirus crisis under challenging conditions as the pandemic takes hold of the country.

Several journalists have tested positive for the virus, with La Stampa closing its headquarters in Turin on Thursday for a “deep clean” after one of its staff was confirmed to have the illness.

Q&A

How can I protect myself and others from the coronavirus outbreak?

Show

The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.

The UN agency advises people to:

  • Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap
  • Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing
  • Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough
  • Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers
  • Advice about face masks varies. Wearing them while out and about may offer some protection against both spreading and catching the virus via coughs and sneezes, but it is not a cast-iron guarantee of protection

Many countries are now enforcing or recommending curfews or lockdowns. Check with your local authorities for up-to-date information about the situation in your area. 

In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days.

If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

Was this helpful?

Journalists at the newspaper are now working from home after calls to bosses last week to adopt the policy. Another major daily, Corriere della Sera, implemented a home-working policy earlier.

Journalists working for the state broadcaster, Rai, are continuing to report from northern regions worst-hit by the virus. A Rai journalist tested positive for the virus earlier this month, as have staff at Sky TG24 and Mediaset.

“We’re continuing to work, with shift and break patterns,” said Angelo Amelio, a journalist at Rai News 24. “Journalists who have been on the frontline have to put themselves in self-isolation. In the office, we continue to work, even if the shifts are a bit tougher. We’re maintaining precautions, such as wearing facemasks and gloves, and keeping a metre distance between each other – for example, we have a meeting room that has space for a maximum of six people and now only three can enter.”

As with other media across the world, the Italian industry is highly dependent on staff working on precarious, freelance-style contracts that do not guarantee sick pay or health insurance.

An industry source said the problem could get “critical”. “There is a big insecurity regarding the treatment of journalists who are not fully employed by outlets,” they said.

Italy, which has had the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China, tightened quarantine restrictions on Thursday, with the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, repeating his call for Italians to stay at home.

The total number of people infected in the country since the epidemic began, including the deaths and those who have recovered, exceeded 15,000 on Thursday. The latest death toll is 1,016.

Newsstands and shops selling newspapers are among the “basic necessities” allowed to remain open across Italy. As people hunker down until at least 3 April, they are reading more papers and watching the news.

“People like me all appreciate and encourage the journalists who are taking this seriously,” said Sabina Colombo, who lives in Rome. “I am glued to watching the news, more so than ever. The whole country now, and every journalist, has a responsibility.”

This article was amended on 16 March 2020. An earlier version referred to people hunkering down “until at least 25 March”. While bars, restaurants and most shops will be shut until this date, the wider restrictions on movement and activities are in place until 3 April. This has been clarified.

Most viewed

Most viewed