The recent Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China has left many people on edge about public health and glued to their TVs, tablets and smartphones for constant updates on the management of the new respiratory virus.
There is always fear and intrigue around illnesses that the public hasn’t seen before. As the number of reported cases of infection rises around the world, many are actively trying to stay informed to adopt best practices for avoiding the spread of the disease.
Several prominent news organizations have taken to live blogging – an effective approach that can be useful for keeping any audience informed – to provide real-time updates on coronavirus developments and inform the public. Here are a few takeaways on how the live blogs of three national outlets compare.
CNN
For those without a news subscription and looking for free updates, CNN.com is the place to go. CNN’s real-time blog coverage of coronavirus dates back to the evening of Jan. 29, with nearly three updates offered per hour. The blog provides a running tally of total cases – more than 8,000 to date – as well as the total number of coronavirus-related deaths and a list of countries where the coronavirus cases and deaths have been reported. This is a very simple yet essential snapshot for readers looking for a quick overview.
CNN also provides a map tracking coronavirus in real time and a graphic listing common symptoms and potential complications. Readers can see how long it’s been since each post has published, though the timestamps don’t include the publication date. Still, for the comprehensive overviews and visual elements alone, this live blog is reliable and incredibly useful for readers looking to quickly bring themselves up to speed on coronavirus news. It serves well as a one-stop shop.
The New York Times
The New York Times also provides a live blog on coronavirus news, though with a lower quantity of updates than some of its competitors, with some 13 posts on Jan. 30. Registration is required to access this blog, but after doing so, users can access it as one of their five free articles per month. Right at the top, the blog features a “Here’s what you need to know” overview that outlines the primary points of interest around this news. The New York Times blog is unique in the fact that readers are given the option to read the updates in Chinese, which given the origin of the virus and where the most people are affected, couldn’t be more appropriate.
Like CNN, The New York Times offers a map tracking the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. However, while this blog offers many photos accompanying each update, it lacks visual elements like infographics to distill some of the critical details around this news and help readers quickly absorb important information. Also, the blog updates aren’t timestamped, so readers are unable to tell when specifically each update was published, though related news articles at the bottom of the page date back to Jan. 29.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post does an admirable job providing real-time updates on coronavirus developments, offering readers approximately two updates per hour. As with The New York Times, registration is required to access WaPo’s live blog, so readers must use one of their three free articles per month to reach it. The live blog offers an overview with bulleted highlights at the top of the page and a “What you need to know about coronavirus” breakout box at the bottom of the page, which includes a map of the spread of coronavirus and an FAQ of the disease. Though if you’re not a paying subscriber, one must be mindful of where you click to not lose access to your limited free articles.
Like CNN’s blog, each blog post is timestamped, and even though they don’t include the publication date, readers can see that the blog updates date back to the afternoon of Jan. 29. When it comes to visual elements, WaPo’s blog offers compelling photos and news videos for several posts but is lacking when it comes to infographics. It is a solid blog overall but infinitely more useful for paying subscribers.
These aren’t the only three news outlets providing real-time coverage of coronavirus, but they are among the most prominent. While there were similarities between each outlet’s live blog, no two were identical. Each had their own approach to coverage and unique blend of aggregated stories.
For the reader, identifying the most ideal live blog ultimately comes down to 1) whether you are a paying customer and 2) what you hope to get from your news blog. All three of the listed outlets do an exceptional job of providing real-time news updates about a serious public health issue that’s captivating a global audience. There’s no shortage of breaking news – just remember to refresh!