In a situation that seems to be changing every day, it’s more important than ever for PR professionals to remain connected and informed. One of the main ways the BIGteam keeps up on reporter coverage and the latest COVID-19 news is through pandemic-specific newsletters that top tier media outlets are publishing to keep readers in the loop. We’ve listed out the top newsletters we subscribe to, what media outlets lifted their paywall to make COVID-19 news more accessible, and some helpful tools to track reporter conversations during this time. 

COVID-19 Specific Newsletters
Many outlets are compiling COVID-19 specific newsletters and homepages to collect all the information in one, easy place for readers to find. Check out the ones the BIGteam subscribes to below.

• Boston Globe – Coronavirus Now
• Buzzfeed – Quarantine Newsletter Pack
• CNET – CNET Coronavirus Update
• CNN – Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction Newsletter
• Financial Times – Coronavirus Business Update
• NPR – Coronavirus Daily
• NYT – Coronavirus Briefing
• TIME – Coronavirus Brief
• USA Today – Coronavirus Watch
• Vox – VoxCare’s coronavirus newsletter
• WIRED – Coronavirus Update

Outlets Reporting on COVID-19 Related News Without a Paywall
Top media outlets are making sure to put COVID-19 articles before a paywall to allow anyone, even those who do not subscribe, to stay caught up on accurate and informative news during these times.

• Financial Times
• New York Times
• Wall Street Journal
• Washington Post

Tracking PR/Reporter Climate
PR professionals need to take extra care when reaching out to the media during this time. Before sending pitches, it’s essential to determine if they contain helpful information in the context of the situation. The BIGteam monitors ongoing COVID-19 coverage and reporter conversations with these tools (and check out our other PR practices to keep in mind during a widespread crisis here.):

• Cision Dashboard
  • Cision’s Insights team has created a dashboard that shares their tracking of Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Coverage
• Muckrack – Muckrack Daily
• Twitter 
  • The BIGteam is always searching Twitter terms and hashtags to monitor reporter conversations, some key terms we track include:
    • “Coronavirus”
    • “COVID-19”
    • “PR pitches”

What newsletters do you subscribe to that help you stay updated during these unprecedented times? Let us know in the comments below!