COVID-19 India: Suraksha Pinnu Talks About Her Experience Covering Covid-19
Suraksha Pinnu is an Indian journalist based in Bengaluru. She is associated with English daily newspaper Deccan Herald. Suraksha has been following the COVID-19 story for the paper with updates and news from Karnataka - a state in southwest India. Suraksha shared that her stories on the subject had been challenging, and specifically spoke of the lack of information coming from the government.
“Officials use the guise of being busy in meetings and COVID-19 containment measures. With media organisations themselves asking their reporters not to visit hospitals to avoid the risk of infection, giving an eyewitness account of what is happening in the hospitals is challenging. Different hospital heads on the same hospital campus give disparate figures,” she said and added that the struggle goes beyond hospitals.
“Every time the word social distancing is uttered, a zoom call is made instead of a press conference to not risk reporters, I wonder if covering an exodus of migrant workers or going to a slum is the mark of a diligent reporter or being stupid, despite having all the information of what we're exposing ourselves to,” Suraksha told CFWIJ.
Suraksha informed us that India is at the second stage of the pandemic, as per the administration’s claims. The number of cases changes every second, while she and other journalists keep up with the information flow by following various sources.
Despite the risks involved in covering the pandemic, Suraksha shared that there is no safety gear to protect them while reporting.
“I'm sorry to inform you that we have no safety gear. Not even a mask or a pair of gloves. When the city was hoarding masks and front line health workers were warning citizens that they'd be depriving people who actually need these masks, it felt wrong to me to buy one and now it's difficult to find an N95 mask. So, while in the initial days I visited apartments of people who tested positive for COVID-19 to talk to health workers, now I mostly work from home,” she informed CFWIJ.
In terms of logistical challenges, Suraksha said that she has to use her own car to get around the city, because of the lockdown imposed across India till April 14th. She has been restricted to using mobile phone apps to pull off her video bulletins. She has now stopped going to the office and works from home. Suraksha shared that journalists have received 'movement passes' by the government to get by the city.
She deems the lockdown as “a perfect cover for the government to not let the press know what exactly is happening behind hospital doors and quarantine facilities.”
Suraksha shared that coverage about the crisis has taken a toll on her health. She once broke down after a 12-16 hour shift but found support in her husband. “Trying to keep away from news of death, turmoil, homelessness and starvation is not an option. Looking at the less privileged makes me feel that people in newsrooms are being lauded for no reason - the homeless and migrant laborers are the real heroes,” she said.
Suraksha noted how she has been distracting herself from morbid news by getting busy in household chores. “Spending time with your spouse and talking about other things except the virus helps, too,” she shared.
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