The Conversation, a global publishing platform, exists to ensure public access to independent, high quality and explanatory journalism. Under normal circumstances such journalism underpins a functioning democracy. But in times like these, when people around the world are bracing for a very tough battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, articles that are written by experts and yet are relatively accessible become even more important. They can help the public make sense of the pandemic and better prepare themselves for the battle ahead. It’s our hope that as The Conversation we have stepped up and made a contribution in the fight against COVID-19, recognising that our contribution pales into insignificance compared with the risks that healthcare workers face in the frontline of this battle.
Since news of the spread of COVID-19 broke, academics have reached deep into their knowledge banks to shed light on the pandemic. The Conversation’s eight sites have published more than 500 stories in four languages. There has been a massive rise in demand for the articles which have been read in excess of 45 million times. There has also been a spike in republishing interest, with articles being taken up by a host of publications.
We are proud to have built a news site that can offer trustworthy, evidence-based articles. And that we are part of a collective effort to provide knowledge, insight and guidance in these extraordinary times. That means featuring the specialist academics who can unpack the science that’s providing guidance on how to manage the pandemic. It also means giving prominence to the academics who can reflect on the social, economic and cultural aspects of a disease that’s forced a freeze on day-to-day activities.
We are enormously grateful to all the academics who have continued to write for us despite the disruptions they face as institutions get shut down. We are also grateful to our newsletter subscribers and readers. We believe that the articles we’re publishing are important in a world overwhelmed by disinformation and misinformation. So we’d ask that you encourage others to support The Conversation by: signing up to one of our newsletters; sharing articles we’ve published; using stories as source material.
You can find the latest articles published from the UK site here, the Africa site here, the US here, Australia here, Canada here, Indonesia here, France here and Spain here.
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