Photo by Kayla Velasquez on Unsplash
There’s a lot of great news coverage out there…and a lot of not-so-helpful, possibly even dangerous stuff going around that’s spreading even faster than the virus.
We are thankful that, while the media industry has been challenged to figure out how to stay in business overall, LI has so far still managed to maintain a fairly robust local media landscape…While a lot of places struggle to keep one decent paper together, we don’t have room here to mention all the smart, caring and conscientious sources LI has for good information about what’s happening and what it means here. We’ll just mention a few that have stood out to us in the last 36 hours:
There are lots of important press conferences going on with local elected leadership. News 12 LI and Newsday have been great resources for that.
Long Island Business News has been doing an excellent job of covering how this impacts the economy from a local standpoint, including offering tips on what employers need to know. The LI Press has been keeping up on more everyday aspects. Meanwhile, Innovate LI has been offering their ever-witty views on the technical side of things.
We have been reminded every morning lately how much we love LI Classic Rock 102.3 WBAB’s local care and down to Earth approach to helping regular folks weather all sorts of storms (and tickled to learn they’re naming a stretch of Deer Park Ave. after JP!).
Huntington NOW has been offering excellent local reporting and resources.
And…BTW…while they remain clear eyed and flexible, the ever Intrepid Fair Media Council is keeping the faith regarding their April 23rd Folio Awards…May they get to honor Carol Silva right on schedule!!!
For the Virus Itself, Where to Go Straight to the Science…
Here are some of the best, most direct sources of reputable information on COVID-19 that we have found:
Northwell Health Coronavirus Digital Resource Center
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Warning! We have already heard of computer viruses being spread via emails that claim to contain Johns Hopkins information…we suggest it’s best to avoid clicking links and go independently to sources!
Another great local resource for all things science is Science Advocacy of Long Island…we hear they’ll be having good resources up soon, too!
And this…it’s not politics, it’s community service…
Suffolk County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer has been offering some really good “virtual house calls” in the form of public service announcements that he is particularly qualified to offer.
He’s known as “Doc”, because he also happens to be Chief of Otolaryngology at Huntington Hospital, an Associate Clinical Professor at Stony Brook University Hospital, and the Past President of the Suffolk County Medical Society. In our experience, he generally seems to be committed to public service in the best sense of the word. Exceptionally well rounded, he also happens to be a Baptist Minister.
In this video, Doc gives a good rundown of “Corona Virus: Myths and Scams” covering a range of health-related topics, including what you can do to report price gouging and bad information. He has an calm, kind, straightforward bedside manner, and is offering regular updates and thoughtful analysis.
We are grateful.