Journalists have been a huge source of news for hundreds of years. 2020 was supposed to be a banner year for digital media. Journalists thought that this would be a year full of new stories and money. 

No one could have predicted that a global health crisis would hit the world before journalists even got a chance to really get a start to the year. Businesses all over the world have been impacted by the Coronavirus which started at the beginning of 2020. Journalists are among the businesses who are being knocked off track due to this pandemic. 

It’s odd that we all may think that the media is thriving off of the pandemic, but are they really? The Coronavirus is causing a world wide shutdown which is severely impacting the economy. This makes it harder for businesses to make money and continue working. Essential workers are the world’s main focus as of now meaning a lot of businesses are closed until further notice. 

Journalists are still on track to be profitable but like other companies they are laying people off, instituting pay cuts and they have scaled back on travel and hiring. Due to this pandemic so many people are losing their jobs. CNN said “3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment last week after many people were ordered to stay home and practice social distancing.” 

Over 300 people in local newsrooms in the U.S lost their jobs in March due to the Coronavirus, according to CNN Business. Most media businesses are trying to avoid layoffs through salary reductions but they can’t do this for everyone. Regardless of how long people have been with the company or what they have contributed to the company, most people are being laid off. What is sad about these layoffs is that they come just as the public is hungry for information about the pandemic, but now there are fewer journalists to provide information about it. 

Businesses are doing what they can to keep their journalists and they are also trying to do their best to prepare for whatever the future holds.