The Rural Assembly and the Daily Yonder, both programs of the Center for Rural Strategies, are pleased to present a panel conversation with rural journalists covering Covid-19, taking place Thursday, May 7 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
Though the coronavirus infection rate in rural counties is less than half the national rate, numerous small towns and rural areas have been hit at least as hard as the worst urban areas. Ski resorts and other recreation counties were part of the early spread of the virus, and other areas with higher rates of infection include the Deep South, tribal lands, and, most recently, counties with meat-packing plants. Ninety percent of the nation’s 2,000 or so rural counties have at least one case of Covid-19.
Our panel features journalists whose reporting has focused on how Covid-19 has affected these different types of rural areas and the people who live there.
Event Details
Thursday’s panel conversation will air at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the Daily Yonder’s YouTube channel. The video can also be viewed at the top of this article, and will continue to be available for viewing on demand.
Panelists include:
- Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Washington Editor, Indian Country Today
- Chris Clayton, Agriculture Policy Editor, DTN and The Progressive Farmer
- April Simpson, Reporter, Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts
- Moderator, Tim Marema, Editor, The Daily Yonder
Questions for the panel will include: what are they seeing in their reporting on different coronavirus hotspots around the country? How is the pandemic shining a spotlight on historic disparities and inequities in rural regions? And what are they expecting to happen, and drive their reporting, in the days and weeks ahead?
Viewers can participate in the conversation and share their questions on YouTube during the premiere. Questions and comments can be posted using YouTube’s chat function, or by posting on Twitter with the hashtag #ruralconversations. The Daily Yonder and Rural Assembly teams will be in the chat responding to audience questions and comments.
Sign up below to stay tuned on the conversation and future events of the Rural Assembly.
