Gutted newsrooms juggle pandemic and protests: 'I volunteered because somebody has to sleep sometime'

Local news publications have been hard hit by financial pressure stemming from the pandemic, with many operating newsrooms gutted by layoffs and furloughs. Now, local journalists are juggling coverage of twin crises — the pandemic and the protests roiling the country — with even fewer resources.

Protestors in cities across the country took to the streets to call for justice over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of police officers last week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the deaths of other black Americans.Reporting on complex and fast-changing events like the current protests typically calls for all hands on deck, but some reporters are simply unable to contribute. The pandemic's economic impact has led to tens of thousands of layoffs and furloughs in media industry since March, with local newspapers among the hardest hit.Read source here.