Journalism in a pandemic: Covering COVID-19 now and in the future -- A self-directed course for journalists

On 29 March, the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas-Austin, in collaboration with the WHO, UNESCO and UNDP and with funding from the European Union, will launch its second massive open online course for journalists to improve their coverage of COVID-19 vaccines. The course, led by former CNN correspondent and WIRED journalist Maryn McKenna is initially being offered in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The course is free and available to journalists who are interested in acquiring new knowledge and resources to improve their coverage of COVID-19 vaccine development, production, and distribution.

The course is four once-a-week modules that runs from 29 March to 25 April.Module 1: The development and technology behind the different vaccines that have been released and that are being created. Module 2: The acquisition and distribution of vaccines globally, including “vaccine nationalism” and questions of equity. Produced in collaboration with the WHO, UNESCO and UNDP, this course -- created by the University of Texas-Austin and the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas -- helps journalists to improve their coverage of the pandemic.

The course is offered in English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish and is self-directed. (Chinese and Hindi self-directed versions are also in the works and will be posted here in the coming months.) The course is free and available to journalists who are interested in acquiring new knowledge and resources to improve your coverage and understanding of the pandemic.The course was originally presented in May 2020 as a four-week virtual massive open online course (MOOC). Maryn McKenna, a former CNN reporter, created, curated, and presented the content for the course, which includes video classes, readings, exercises, and more.

The course materials are broken up into five modules:Intro Module: Introduction to the course and the outline of topicsModule 1: Where did COVID-19 come from?Module 2: Covering COVID-19 right nowModule 3: The hope for treatments and vaccinesModule 4: Coronavirus: The way forwardClick here to take this self-directed course